Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford continued its 3-game homestand on Saturday, as it hosted Mount Aloysius in an AMCC showdown. The Panthers jumped out to a double-digit halftime lead, and then held off a late Mountie charge to win the game 91-77.
Tra Edwards got the contest off to a quick start, hitting a three from the corner on the opening possession of the game. The visitors stayed with the Panthers, matching the three and a floating jumpshot by Coby Farley in the first few minutes; however, Xavion Boone also made a three after four minutes of play to keep the Panthers in front. A layup from Jeremy Rodriguez and a tip-in by Niare Poplar gave the Panthers a 12-7 lead, but the Mounties responded after a timeout, scoring 6 straight to take their first lead of the game. Farley immediately answered with a pair of threes around a long ball from Xander Norris to restore the lead. After a Mountie basket, Poplar made a putback layup, and Rodriguez sank a three to push the lead to 7 and force a Mount Aloysius timeout.
The break did not slow the Panthers, as Kaleb Pryor got hot from the field and led the Panthers to a 13-2 run. Pryor hit back-to-back threes and, after a Clarence Cobbins layup, made a floating jumpshot in the lane. The Visitors were able to slow the run down, making a three and a dunk, but Pryor added two more from deep, and David Ramos made a layup after a pick and roll to extend the Panthers lead to 19. Over the last 90 seconds of the half, the Panthers went cold offensively, and the Mounties scored the final 5 points of the half to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 47-33.
After halftime, the Panthers picked right back up on the offensive end, scoring five quick points on a Farley three and a putback layup from Xavion Boone. Following a layup and two free throws for Mount Alysius, the Panthers put together a 12-2 run, pushing their advantage to 25. Cobbins started the run with a layup and then added an exclamation point a few possessions later with a powerful one-handed dunk. In between the Cobbins baskets, Norris added a three, and Poplar made a pair from the line. Dante Sanchez finished the run with a three from the wing.
Over the next four minutes, the Panthers kept the lead above 20 through layups by Rodriguez, Poplar, Farley, and Tommy Walton. Unfortunately, they could not maintain the scoring, and after the Walton basket, the visitors made a push to cut into the lead. They went on an 8-0 run, quickly cutting the lead to 14. Despite six points from Rodriguez, the Mounites eventually got the Panther lead down to 11 points with 2:24 remaining. Pryor ended the rally, converting a three-point play, and Poplar and Norris were able to put the game away, making 6 of 6 from the line down the stretch.
Kaleb Pryor led the Panthers with 17 points. He made 6-9 from the field, including 4-6 from beyond the arc. Jeremy Rodriguez added 16 off the bench, while Niare Poplar recorded his fourth double-double in 5 games, finishing with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Coby Farley also reached double figures, scoring 13 points.
The Victory moves Pitt-Bradford to 10-7 on the season with a 5-3 mark in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Wednesday, as they host Penn State-Altoona in a crucial AMCC matchup. The game will begin at approximately 7:00 p.m., or 25 minutes after the completion of the women's game, which begins at 5:00 p.m.
