Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team played its first home game of the season on Wednesday night, hosting Grove City. The Panthers overcame a sluggish start to defeat the Wolverines 80-70.
The evening began with a celebration, as the Panthers' 2024-25 team was recognized for their historic season. All the current team members who returned from last season were honored, while Coby Farley, Rodd Yarbrough, and Jesse Laster unveiled the team's championship banner.
The visitors opened the game with a layup seconds after the opening tip, and quickly jumped in front. The Panthers struggled to find their footing in the field, missing their first nine shots, which allowed Grove City to go ahead 10-after 5 minutes of play. Coby Farley finally got the offense started with 14:31 on the clock, hitting a three after a pass from Xavion Boone. Grove City quickly answered with a layup and then pushed their lead to 12 with a pull-up jumper and a three. Clarence Cobbins started a Panther rally that saw Pitt-Bradford score eight in a row to trim the deficit to 4.
Trailing 25-19 with 6 minutes left in the half, Tra Edwards stole the ball in the backcourt and made a layup before Jeremy Rodriguez converted a three-point play to put the Panthers down 1. Edwards answered a Wolverine layup with a slam dunk in traffic to keep the deficit at one, but Grove City scored the next 7 points to push their advantage back to 8. In the final minutes of the half, Niare Poplar and Clarence Clemons each converted inside, but Grove City tacked on three more baskets to take a 40-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After the break, the Panthers restarted quickly, as Rodriguez made a three on the first possession of the half and then, after stealing the ball on the other end, sent Boone on a fast break for a layup. Grove City withstood the opening punch and found an answer, eventually pushing its lead to 11 after a free throw with 15:08 remaining in the game. Xander Norris made a pair of jumpers around two free throws from Edwards to start a Panther tally, and then, after a Wolverine layup, a Tommy Walton free throw started an 8-0 run that propelled the Panthers into their first lead of the game. Cobbins sank two from the line, and then Farley drained a three to cut the deficit to one. Jeremy Rodriguez stole the ball on the other end, and then, after being fouled, made both from the line to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 52-51 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
The teams exchanged baskets for the next three minutes until a Norris putback started another 8-0 run for Pitt Bradford. Samuel Brown followed with a layup before Rodriguez made a four-point play to give the Panthers a 69-61 advantage with four minutes left. Coby Farley made another long ball to keep the lead at eight points, and then the Panthers made eight of eight from the line in the final minute to secure the lead. Rodriguez made four of the free throws, while Edwards and Farley each added a pair.
Jeremy Rodriguez led all scorers with 21 points. He had a tough night from the field, but made 11-12 from the line in the win. He also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Coby Farley added 16 points, making 4-8 from beyond the arc. Tra Edwards and Xander Norris each scored 10 points in the victory, while Xavion Boone tallied 7 assists. Clarence Cobbins led the Panthers' second line, scoring 8 points.
The Panthers move to 3-1 with the victory. They will be back on the road this weekend, as they travel to Alfred to take on the Saxons on Friday night. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
