Pittsburgh, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team was back in action on Saturday, taking on Carlow in a road AMCC matchup. The Panthers erased a double-digit second-half lead, and then held off a last-second attempt to tie the game, holding on for an 85-83 win.
The hosts started strong, scoring on the opening possession and adding three other baskets in the first four minutes. The Panthers were able to keep pace, using a pair of baskets by Jeremy Rodriguez and a three-pointer from Xander Norris. After 5 minutes of play, Maki Hill made a three-pointer, beginning a 14-2 run for the Panthers. Rodriguez added two more short jump shots before Naire Poplar made a three and and a tip-in layup around a Kaleb Pryor layup to put the Panthers ahead by double digits.
The Celtics found a quick response, going on a 12-0 run of their own to tie the game at 24. Xavion Boone made a layup to slow the rally, but the hosts added 6 more in a row to go ahead 30-26. Despite layups by Hill and Samuel Brown, Carlow continued to add to their lead, going ahead by 8 with 2 minutes left in the half. The Panthers rallied down in the final minutes, outscoring the Celtics 6-1 heading into the break. Poplar made a putback layup before Clarence Cobbins threw down a slam dunk, and Rodriguez made a buzzer-beating layup to send the game to halftime with the Panthers trailing 40-37.
Pitt-Bradford struggled after the restart, as they were outscored 10-2 run over the first two and a half minutes of the period. Trailing by 11, the Panthers rediscovered their shooting touch, as they quickly scored 8 unanswered points within a minute. Norris and Rodriguez each hit threes around a Samuel Brown slam dunk to cut the deficit to three. The Celtics slowed the rally, remaining in front for the next three minutes until the Panthers put together another 8-point run to retake the lead. Cobbins and Pryor combined for five free throws in the stretch before Rodriguez hit a long ball to put the Panthers in front.
Over the next five minutes, the Panthers exchanged baskets with the hosts, staying ahead with layups by Norris and Poplar and four more free throws from Cobbins. They extended the lead with 7 minutes remaining, as Poplar hit two from the line and Brown added a layup. The Celtics worked to cut into the lead with a three and a layup, but Poplar and Hill matched their efforts to keep the lead at 5.
Pitt-Bradford pushed their advantage to 7 after a Pryor three and an old-fashioned three-point play by Rodriguez with 2 mintues to go. In the final minute, Cobbins made two more from the line to give the Panthers an 85-81 lead, but the Panthers were not out of the woods yet. They forced a miss on the other end, but could not gather the rebound, and the Celtics made the putback, with a foul and 0.8 seconds on the clock. After a timeout, the hosts intentionally missed the free throw and had a chance for a tap-in to tie the game, but the shot bounced off the backboard, ending the game in regulation.
Jeremy Rodriguez led the Panthers with 21 points. He made 9-13 from the field, including 2-5 from three. He also tallied 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Niare Poplar recorded his third consecutive double-double, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Clarence Cobbins added 15 points, making 13-14 from the free throw line in the win.
The Panthers move to 9-6 on the season, with a 4-2 mark in AMCC play. They will be back in action in KOA Arena on Wednesday, when they host the conference leaders, Penn State-Behrend. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
