Alfred, NY -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team was back on the road Friday night, heading to New York to take on Alfred University. The Panthers faced a double-digit deficit in the second half, but rallied to defeat the Saxons 72-66.

Jeremy Rodriguez got the Panthers started with a fast break layup after 90 seconds of play, but the Panthers' offense sputtered early as they were held to just 4 points after 5 minutes of play. At the 13-minute mark, Xander Norris made a three to trim the deficit to one, but the hosts answered with a 10-1 rally. Niare Poplar stopped the run with a steal and a fast break dunk before Rodriguez scored 5-straight to put the Panthers down 22-17.  Pitt-Bradford kept the deficit at 5 with another Norris three and a layup from Xavion Boone, but Alfred was able to close the half on a 6-2 run to send the game to the break with the Panthers trailing 35-27.

The Saxons' rally continued after halftime, scoring 10 unanswered over the first 4 minutes of the 2nd period. Kaleb Pryor stopped the run, converting a three-point play with 15 minutes to go. Poplar followed with a three and a layup in transition to cut the deficit to 10. Pitt-Bradford scored 6 unanswered from the free throw line, and then Clarence Cobbins threw down a dunk to put the Panthers down 3. A minute later, Rodriguez made two more from the line, and Coby Farley added a layup to tie the game at 49. Following an Alfred free throw, Farley made a step-back three to give Pitt-Bradford its first lead since the opening minutes. 

Poplar, Norris, and Pryor all made layups to keep the Panthers in front over the next two minutes. The hosts cut the Panther lead to 3 with 4 minutes left, but following another Farley three, Rodriguez intercepted a pass in the back court and pulled up for two, giving The Panthers a 65-57 lead. Alfred continued to try and erase the lead, but Norris answered a three with one of his own, while Boone and Farley each added late layups to secure the 72-66 victory.

Jeremy Rodriguez led all scorers in the game with 20 points. He also tallied 3 assists and 6 steals. Xander Norris scored 11 points, while Coby Farley added 10, all in the 2nd half. Niare Poplar scored 11 points off the bench while also leading the Panthers with 5 rebounds. 

The Panthers are now 4-1 to start the season. They will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 24th, when they host Geneva. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. in KOA Arena. The game will also feature a short halftime game between players from the Bradford Youth Basketball League.