Houghton, NY -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team tipped off its 2025-26 campaign on Friday night with a road matchup at Houghton. The Panthers battled the Highlanders early, but pulled away with a 10-0 run at the 10-minute mark to eventually win the game 116-106.
The Panthers started quickly as Jeremy Rodriguez hit a three to open the scoring and then made a putback layup on the next possession. The hosts rallied and quickly turned the deficit into a 15-6 lead after 6 minutes of play. Xander Norris ended the rally with a three, and then, after a David Ramos blocked shot, found Niare Poplar on the break for a three-point play to tie the game. Rodriguez put the Panthers back in front with a second-chance three and then, following a Houghton layup, made another. Rodriguez and Tra Edwards made back-to-back threes, but Pitt-Bradford could not maintain their momentum and Houghton scored the next eight to tie the game at 28 with 10 mintues left in the half.
The teams exchanged runs through the middle of the period, but the Panthers would come away on top, using a Rodriguez jumper, a three from Coby Farley, and a pair of free throws by Xavion Boone to push their advantage to 9. Rodriguez converted a midrange jumper to put the Panthers up 52-43 with 4:23 left in the half, but the Pitt-Bradford offense began to sputter, and the hosts were able to get back in the game. A Blake Krznaric three and another layup from Rodriguez slowed the rally, but the Highlanders tied the game at 58 with 50 seconds left in the first. Houghton seemed to be taking a lead into the locker room after a free throw, but Edwards beat the buzzer with a three to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 61-59.
Rodriguez started the second half with another long ball, and the Panthers answered two free throws with a Coby Farley floater and another Edwards three to push the lead to 8. Houghton followed with another rally, scoring ten in a row to retake the lead. The teams exchanged the lead 7 times over the next two minutes until Boone made a layup, stole the ball in the backcourt, and fed Clarence Cobbins for a layup to give the Panthers the lead for good. Two Highlander free throws were followed by a 9-0 Panther run that saw them push the lead to double digits for the first time. The Panthers continued to add to their lead and limit Houghton rallies, eventually going ahead 108-94 on a deep Farley three to give them their largest lead at 14. Boone and Poplar made layups in the final minutes to put the game away.
Jeremy Rodriguez led all scorers with 34 points, including 29 in his red-hot first half. He made 10-17 from the field, including 5-6 from deep and 9-10 from the line. He also led the Panthers with 7 rebounds and tallied 3 steals and 2 assists. Tra Edwards and Coby Farley each made 4 threes to finish with 19 and 16 points, respectively. Xavion Boone added 10 points with 8 assists and 4 steals. Niare Poplar and Clarence Cobbins each reached double figures off the bench, scoring 11 and 10 points each, while also grabbing 6 rebounds.
The Panthers start the season with a victory and are 1-0. They will have a week off before returning to action on Friday, Nov. 14th, when they take on Franklin & Marshall in the opening game of the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Rutgers-Newark. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 p.m.
