AMCC Men's Basketball Game of the Week:
La Roche University @ Penn State Altoona
Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00pm
Video | Live Stats
The AMCC Men's Basketball Game of the Week will be a clash of the top two teams in the conference, both fighting for a regular season title and hosting rights in the upcoming AMCC championship tournament. With only two regular season games remaining, the La Roche University Redhawks and Penn State Altoona Lions both enter the game with 11-1 records in conference play. Altoona fell to Hilbert College, while the Lions gave La Roche their only loss.
These teams matched up just over a month ago and the Redhawks have grown significantly since then. Senior guard Devon Darrell is averaging 19.6 points per game, and La Roche as a team is averaging 81.2 points in conference play. The team has also significantly increased its completion rate from the three-point line. Just earlier this week the Redhawks knocked down 20 three-pointers in one game. Junior G/F Joe Pipilo remains the backbone of his team, narrowly missing a double-double in points and assists two games ago. The senior averages 13 points a game and just under six rebounds. No one should underestimate Jordan “Six” Grayson. The 6’6 forward will use his size to his advantage in the paint to get to the hoop, but he also isn’t afraid to take a shot from deep, making him a versatile player. Grayson averages 10.6 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, while ranking third in the AMCC with a 42.0 three-point field goal percentage.
Penn State Altoona enters Wednesday night’s big home matchup against La Roche riding a program-record 10-game winning streak. The Lions have been getting it done at both ends of the court. On offense, Penn State Altoona ranks first in the AMCC in points per game (86.1), field goal percentage (48.4), and assists (17.3) while being second in three-point percentage (36.3). Defensively, the Lions are first in the league in steals per game (10.7), blocks per game (5.0), opponent field goal percentage (41.7), and opponent three-point field goal percentage (31.1). Senior guard Saivon Word leads the conference in steals (51), is second in assists (89), and ranks ninth in points per game (14.2), while sophomore center PJ Charles ranks third in the AMCC in rebounds per game (7.8) and 12th in points per game (13.1). Five other Lions average double figures in scoring: junior forward Mason Bush (12.0 ppg), senior guard/forward Andruw Harman (11.9 ppg), senior guard Robbie Hicks (11.5 ppg), sophomore forward Dwayne Jones (10.6 ppg), and sophomore guard Jahmar White (10.1 ppg).
The Lions and Redhawks squared off on January 26, with Penn State Altoona hanging on for the 87-77 win. The contest saw eight lead changes and only one tie.