CLEVELAND – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team got its 2024-25 season underway Friday night in the Bill Sudeck Tournament, hosted by Case Western Reserve University. The Lions faced the host Spartans in the Horsburgh Gymnasium, suffering a 99-72 loss.

Case Western (1-0) came out hot on offense, putting 53 points on the board in the first half and creating a 19-point lead by halftime. Penn State Altoona (0-1) shot 42.6 percent overall from the floor, including making 10 three-pointers, but the Lions were unable to dig out of their early hole.

"While the scoreboard didn't reflect it, I felt like the guys played pretty well, especially early on. Case Western's experience of having five grad transfers playing for them finally wore us down. They have been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation the last three years, and it looks like they are on pace for that again," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "I thought our young guys played well, and we started getting some better offensive efficiency in the second half. Now, we have to focus on Canton tomorrow and hopefully get the winning streak started."

Penn State Altoona's Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) scored 11 points to go along with five rebounds, four steals, and a block, and Jalen Martinez (Brooklyn, NY/New Hope Academy) provided 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists off the bench. Nehemiah Frye (King George, VA/King George) scored 10 points.

Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) added eight points, Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) had six points, five rebounds, and two assists, and Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage) also had six points while tallying a pair of assists.

Sam Trunley scored a game-high 23 points for Case Western. Umar Rashid finished with a double-double, totaling 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans, while Andy Barba scored 17 points.

After Case Western scored the first six points of the game, Jones hit a three-pointer and a two-point jump shot to get the Lions to within four, 9-5. Later, a jumper and two layups from Charles tied the score at 14-14, and a Martinez three-pointer at 11:17 put Penn State Altoona in front, 17-16.

Case Western responded by outscoring the Lions 19-4 over the next six minutes, capped by Trunley's three-pointer at 5:10 that put the Spartans up by 14 points, 35-21. Rashid's basket with 1:57 left in the half gave Case Western a 20-point advantage, 50-30. Penn State Altoona got late buckets from Martinez and Frye, and the Lions went into halftime down 53-34.

Early in the second half, Claar connected from beyond the arc twice to keep the difference at 19 points, 61-42, by the 16:26 mark. But Case Western continued to grow its lead, increasing it to 84-50 with 10:02 remaining.

Penn State Altoona got three-pointers from Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/San Juan Diego), Kargo, and Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) to help lower its deficit to 90-63 with six minutes left, and another Kargo trey made it 93-70 with 3:28 to go. Jones sank a pair of free throws a minute later to keep the score differential at 23 points, 95-72, and Penn State Altoona ultimately lost by 27.

Penn State Altoona men's basketball competes in the second and final day of the Bill Sudeck Tournament tomorrow, Saturday, November 9. The Lions will take on SUNY Canton in the tournament's consolation game, with tipoff scheduled for 12 p.m.