University Heights, OH -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team kicked off its trip to the John Carroll Classic on Saturday with a matchup against fellow 2025 NCAA Tournament team Chatham. The Panthers led in the opening minutes, but the Cougars exploded for 65 points in the first half on the way to a 110-86 Pitt-Bradford loss.

Chatham opened the scoring with an early three, but the Panthers matched the Cougars as Tra Edwards opened the scoring with a layup, and then Xander Norris hit a three on a second-chance opportunity to tie the game. Norris hit two more long balls after a Chatham jumper to give the Panthers an 11-7 lead after 3 minutes of play. Chatham scored 4 straight to tie the game once again; however, Niare Poplar went on a personal 7-2 run to keep Pitt-Bradford in front.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, their offense cooled down, while Chatham heated up. The Cougars went on a 20-1 run to go ahead 33-19. Poplar ended the rally with a free throw, and Maki Hill added a layup, but Chatham continued to score, eventually extending their lead to 20 points with 5:31 on the clock. Norris scored 8 points in the final minutes before halftime, as the Cougars answered and went to the break with the Panthers trailing 65-36.

Edwards and Jeremy Rodriguez each made layups to start the half for Pitt-Bradford, forcing an early Chatham timeout. Chatham answered after the timeout, but Rodriguez was able to keep the deficit from growing, scoring four straight of his own. After a line change for the Panthers, Chatham went back on the offensive, scoring 7 of the following 10 points. Rodriguez returned to the game and hit a jumpshot with 15 minutes on the clock, and then Poplar answered a Cougar jumper with a driving layup. He added another after a Clarence Cobbins steal; however, the Cougars continued to answer each Panther basket, keeping their lead at 30 points. 

Trailing 95-57 with 10 mintues remaining, Maki Hill hit a three to start a Panther rally. He added a free throw before Jalen Jefferson and Poplar made layups around a Coby Farley free throw to continue the run. Farley capped the 11-2 rally with a midrange jumper. Poplar made another layup to start another Push for the Panthers, which saw them cut the lead to 25 after he bookended the rally with a putback dunk. Tommy Walton added a pair of free throws in the final minutes, while Edwards added a tip-in and a layup to close the game.

Xander Norris made 9-11 from the field, including 5-7 from three, to lead the Panthers with 23 points. Niare Poplar also had an efficient game, finishing 9-14 to finish with 20. He also led the team with 6 rebounds. Jeremy Rodriguez also reached double figures, scoring 12.

The loss drops Pitt-Bradford to 6-4 on the season. They will be right back in action tomorrow afternoon, as they will take on Penn State-Harrisburg to close their trip to the John Caroll Invitational. Tipoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.