VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team traveled south to face Regent at Gateway Christian Academy, where the Lions came away with victory, winning 92-79 in the non-conference contest.  

Penn State Altoona (6-5) worked their way to a 15-point lead at halftime after putting together some solid scoring runs during the first half. Regent (2-12) tried to get back into the game in the second half but were unable to take a lead in the second half before losing by 13 points.  

Despite the 13-point gap between the two teams at the final whistle, shooting numbers for the Lions and the Royals were similar. Penn State Altoona held an edge in field goals and three-point field goals (29-60 to 27-64 and 10-23 to 7-26 respectively).  

Three of the Lions' starters scored double-digit points in the victory. Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) led all scoring with 22 points. Rasheed Daniels (Richmond, VA/Monacan) grabbed 19 points and provided four assists. Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) had a double-double, scoring 17 points, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, providing a game-high six assists, and got a game-high four steals. Nehemiah Frye (King George, VA/King George) contributed 16 points and eight rebounds.  

"Amazing start by Braelen that got us off to a strong start offensively. Everyone really locked in on defense, especially midway through the half, which helped us build the lead. Kaden had a heck of an overall game with a big double-double and six assists. It was good to see he and Braelen really play well." said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. 

The Royals were led in scoring by Dorian Tema who scored 17 points and Darrin Clark with 16 points.  

The first four minutes saw both teams exchanging baskets with the scoreboard reading 12-12 at 15:51. The next six minutes saw Penn State Altoona go on a 17-3 run, with Cage scoring eight points, Daniels scoring five, Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage) scoring two, and Eli Sterling (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) scoring two. The run gave the Lions a 14-point lead.  

Claar scored three free throws at 0:35 to extend the Lions' lead to 52-34 before the Royals scored a three-pointer to make it 52-37 at halftime. 

Penn State Altoona got their largest lead of the game at 18:06 after Claar set up Cage for the layup, making it 57-40. Regent worked to cut the lead, going on an 8-3 run starting at 10:13, which cut the Lions' lead to 11 points, 72-61.  

Penn State Altoona held on, outscoring Regent in the final six-and-a-half minutes 14-13 to secure a 92-79 victory in Virginia.  

"Also got to give a shout out to our fans and family that showed up. One of the reasons we travel is so guys have a better chance to play in front of family and friends who don't get to see them much, and for the second time this year, we made a road game seem like a home game." 

In their next game, Penn State Altoona men's basketball will resume conference play, traveling to Hamburg, New York to face the Hilbert Hawks on Wednesday, January 7 at 3:00 p.m. 

"Now it's time to focus on AMCC play, first up Hilbert. Go Lions!"