Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team returned home on Saturday afternoon for a non-conference matchup against Penn State Mont-Alto. The Panthers erased a 7-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation but could not finish the job, ultimately falling in overtime 100-92.
Jeremy Rodriguez got off to a hot start for the Panthers, opening their scoring with a three and then adding a midrange pull-up a possession later. Pitt-Bradford led 9-6 after two jumpers from Niare Poplar and Xander Norris, but fell behind the Lions after a 7-2 run by the visitors.
A putback dunk by Poplar ended the rally and started a 12-0 run for the Panthers. After Rodriguez made another basket inside, Maki Hill made field goals on back-to-back possessions. Dante Sanchez added a free throw before a Coby Farley three extended the Pitt-Bradford lead to 10.
Mont Alto responded immediately, and despite a layup and three from Tra Edwards, battled back to tie the game at 28 with 4:28 to go in the half. The Panthers stayed in front with a Sanchez long ball and a Walton layup, but could not string together baskets to extend the advantage. Norris made a last-minute layup to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 36-35.
Both teams came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders as they exchanged baskets for the first 3 minutes of the half. Trailing 41-40, Farley made back-to-back three-pointers, which started a rally for the Panthers. He made another three after a Tommy Walton layup, and then Tra Edwards sank a three to give Pitt-Bradford a 54-43 edge.
Rodriguez converted a three-point play, and then Poplar made a corner three to keep the Panther advantage at 10, but the Lions once again rallied with a 12-3 run that put them behind 65-64 with 8:44 remaining. Following a Hill layup, the visitors made four straight from the line to momentarily go in front. Rodriguez and Clarence Cobbins made back-to-back threes to give the Panthers the lead, but their baskets were followed by an 11-0 run by Mont Alto, giving the visitors a 7-point advantage with 90 seconds to go.
In the final minute, Edwards converted a three-point play to trim the lead to three points. On the ensuing possession, Hill stole the ball in the back court and found Norris in the corner, who made a three-pointer through contact to tie the game at 80, and sent him to the line for one more. Norris sank the free throw, giving the Panthers a one-point advantage with 33 seconds to go. The Panthers forced another turnover on the defensive end, but could not extend the lead on their possession. Mont Alto raced down the court after the stop and drew a foul with 1.5 seconds to go. The Lions' shooter missed the first free throw, but made the second to tie the game. Rodriguez had a 3/4-court shot to win the game at the buzzer, but his long-distance effort hit the rim, and the game moved into an extra period.
Edwards and Norris each made early threes in overtime, but the visitors matched their efforts with driving layups and took an 88-87 lead after a three-point play. Norris made another three-pointer to give the Panthers a 2-point lead, but Pitt-Bradford went cold after his long ball, and the Lions took advantage with an 8-0 run. Poplar made one final layup with 22 seconds left; however, the visitors made four from the line to put the game away.
Tra Edwards led Pitt-Bradford with 18 points off the bench. He made 6-9 from the field, including 4-5 from beyond the arc. Xander Norris and Coby Farley each finished with 14, while Jeremy Rodriguez added 13. Niare Poplar recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Panthers fall to 7-6 on the season with the loss. They will return to AMCC action on Wednesday, as they head to Alfred State. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
