ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team powered its way to an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory on Wednesday evening in the Adler Arena, earning a 78-76 win over league opponent Penn State Behrend.

The Lions (7-6, 3-1 AMCC) established a seven-point lead by halftime, then fended off a second-half rally by Behrend (7-6, 2-2 AMCC) to seal their third conference victory of the season.

"What an amazing win tonight, but for some reason, we always have to make things more interesting than they should be. Credit to coach [David] Niland and Behrend for not giving up and fighting to the end, but we are extremely satisfied with the big home conference win against such a storied program," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "I really thought we came out defensively in the first half and took their rhythm away early with some switching defenses. However, we were unable to build distance as our offense struggled a little bit in the first half."

Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) led the Lions in points and rebounds, finishing with 17 points and eight boards to go along with a game-high three blocks. Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) had 13 points and six rebounds, and Kal-El Gentles (Austin, TX/San Juan Diego) also had 13 points and distributed three assists.

Behrend got a game-best 25 points from Matthew McDonough, while Tommy DiRienzo scored 18 points and Nate Edwards contributed 12 for the visitors.

Penn State Altoona used a well-rounded performance to work its way out to a 36-29 halftime lead, shooting 52.2 percent from the floor while holding Behrend to a 36.0 percent field goal percentage.

A pair of three-pointers from Gentles accounted for the Lions' first points of the game, but Behrend used an 8-2 run to go up 10-8, getting a three-pointer from Edwards at 16:17 to provide a two-point lead. Penn State Altoona answered by scoring the next six points, getting four points from Jones and two from Claar.

Jones' basket at 9:51 expanded the Lions' advantage to 19-15, and a Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage) jumper at 7:22 made it 23-17. Jalen Martinez (Brooklyn, NY/New Hope Academy) kept Penn State Altoona's lead at six points 27-21, with a layup at 6:13, before a Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) foul shot and Claar trey upped the advantage to 31-21 by the 4:23 mark. The Lions got points late in the period from Baskerville, Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium), and Kargo, and the home team took a 36-29 advantage into halftime.

Behrend slowly clawed its way back in the second half and took a lead midway through the period for the first time since the early stages of the game. But Penn State Altoona got back in front and maintained a narrow advantage the rest of the way.

The Lions got their lead to 44-36 after a Gentles jump shot at 15:44, and Nehemiah Frye's (King George, VA/King George) basket 39 seconds later made it 46-39. But Behrend closed the gap to two points, then went up 56-55 following Michael Sopko's three-pointer and layup.

Tied 62-62 at 7:46, Penn State Altoona reeled off an 8-0 run on a Martinez layup, Baskerville three-pointer, and Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) trey. But Behrend again whittled away at the Lions' lead, making it a one-point game, 76-75, with 20 seconds to play.

Penn State Altoona tacked two points on to its total with six seconds to go, thanks to a pair of Claar foul shots. In the ensuing possession, Behrend got a point on a McDonough free throw, and the Lions withstood a last-second three-point attempt by the visitors to secure the win.

"Winning conference games is hard, no matter who you're playing, and they are equally as rewarding no matter who you're playing," said McGreal. "We will definitely enjoy this one tonight, and then get ready for a scrappy Alfred State team at their place on Saturday. I did remind the guys in the locker room that they ended our season last year, so we're going to be ready."

Penn State Altoona men's basketball heads on the road for its next contest, as the Lions will travel to Alfred, N.Y., to take on AMCC foe Alfred State College this Saturday, January 11, at 1 p.m.