by Casey Burinskas

ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's basketball hosted Penn State Behrend on Saturday in the Adler Arena, where the Lions came up short, 68-61, in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference contest.

Neither team led by more than nine points in the hard-fought, evenly-matched game. Behrend (7-3, 4-0 AMCC) held a 34-30 halftime advantage, but Penn State Altoona (5-5, 0-2 AMCC) worked its way into a five-point lead midway through the second half. However, the visitors jumped back in front and did enough the rest of the way to maintain a small lead.

Free throws played a big role for both teams, with Behrend going 23-for-28 at the foul line compared to Penn State Altoona making 10 on just 11 attempts.

"Really tough loss today. We had our opportunities to win the game but just couldn't make the big bucket that we needed. On the defensive end, I thought we were playing really good defense every possession, but somehow most possessions past the five-minute mark ended with Behrend shooting free throws," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "I guess we are going to have to work better on trying not to foul, because you're not going to win many games getting outscored by 13 points at the free throw line."

Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) led Penn State Altoona in scoring with 16 points, while Nehemiah Frye (King George, VA/King George) scored 14. Rasheed Daniels (Richmond, VA/Monacan) added 10 points, and Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) secured a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with nine points and three steals. Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage) distributed a game-high five assists.

Behrend's Jacob Dunkle led all scorers in the game with 18 points. The visitors also got 15 points from Mason Blankenberg and 13 points from Nate Edwards.

"Hats off to Coach [Dave] Niland and the guys from Erie," said McGreal. "They were able to get the stops on defense that they needed and able to convert on their end down the stretch."

Penn State Altoona and Behrend battled through a tight first half, featuring frequent lead changes and strong defensive pressure on both ends. The Lions opened the game aggressively, getting early baskets from Frye and Kargo to jump out to a 7-3 advantage in the opening minutes. Behrend responded quickly behind efficient interior scoring, but Altoona answered with a Daniels jumper and Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) basket to push ahead, 11-9, six minutes into the half.

As the half progressed, the pace picked up, and both teams traded baskets. Behrend hit a three-pointer to go up 12-11, but Cage provided a spark for Altoona with a jumper to reclaim a 13-12 edge, followed by strong defensive rebounds that limited second chances. Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/Maryknoll) later knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 20-20.

Behrend began to separate itself late in the half, helped by some defensive success against the Lions. The visitors went on a 12-3 run, creating a 32-23 advantage with 2:03 left in the period. A Cage three-pointer at the 1:45 mark kept the Lions within six, 32-26, and Baskerville added two free throws to make it 32-28. Cage capped the half with a jump shot in the final seconds, sending Altoona into the locker room facing a 34-30 deficit.

The second half was a tense and competitive stretch, as Penn State Altoona battled to keep pace with Behrend. The Lions had multiple opportunities to seize the lead and eventually worked their way on top. Altoona opened the half with scoring from Frye, who hit back-to-back shots. Cage followed with a three-pointer to put the Lions ahead, 37-36, and Baskerville's tip-in made it 39-37. Altoona continued to hold a modest lead, and Daniels made a layup at 9:51 to put his team up by five, 47-42.

Behrend fought back to reclaim the lead, 52-49, by the 7:33 mark, but Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) tied the game at 52-52 with his jump shot, then again with a tip-in that evened the score at 54-54. Frye's three-pointer at 4:20 put Altoona ahead by one, and Baskerville made a pair of free throws to put the Lions' lead at 59-58 a minute later.

But Behrend outscored Altoona 6-0 over the next several minutes and held a 64-59 advantage with 40 seconds remaining. Cage made a layup and two free throws for the Lions in the closing seconds, but despite Altoona's persistent play throughout the half, Behrend managed to hold on to a slim lead in the final minutes to seal a win, 68-63.

Next up, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team will be on the road on Saturday, January 3 against non-conference opponent Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., at 3 pm. 

"Now we take a pretty big break to celebrate the holidays with our family and friends," said McGreal. "Then in the new year, it'll be time to get started down in Virginia Beach in preparation for hopefully a really strong conference run."