Pittsburgh, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team hit the road on Saturday for a matchup with La Roche. The Panthers fell behind late in the 2nd half but rallied and had a shot to tie the game at the buzzer; however, it bounced off the rim, and Pitt-Bradford fell 95-92.
The Panthers started quickly, using five points from Tra Edwards and a Coby Farley long ball to take an 8-4 lead. They pushed the lead to 8 with baskets inside by Xavion Boone and Jeremy Rodriguez, but La Roche rallied with a 6-2 run. After a Clarence Cobbins three-pointer, the hosts went on an 8-0 run to retake the lead. Niare Poplar slowed the rally with a fastbreak layup, but it would not stop the Redhawks, who continued to score the next six points.
Pitt-Bradford tied the score with a tip-in from Cobbins and two from the line by Rodriguez. They went back in front with back-to-back baskets by Samuel Brown and Xander Norris, but could not stop the hosts, who answered two Norris baskets with a layup and a three to go ahead 32-31. The Panther deficit grew to as many as four with 4 minutes remaining in the half, but they battled and after tying the score, went to the break with a 43-41 lead thanks to a Farley layup.
La Roche made an early run to begin the second half; however, Pitt-Bradford stayed in front with a Rodriguez trey and a layup from Poplar. Following a Pitt-Bradford technical, the Redhawks went in front with a 6-0 run. Farley made a layup to slow the run once again, but the hosts were ableto eventually extend their advantage to 9 points with 10:15 remaining.
The Panthers leveled off the momentum and kept the deficit in single digits from the free-throw line. They were able to cut the lead to four after a Cobbins three-point play, but the Redhawks answered with 5 points around a timeout to restore the 9-point edge. Both teams were able to exchange productive possessions, but the Panthers slowly chipped away at the lead, and a Norris and-one put the Panthers down a pair with 4:43 on the clock. Pitt-Bradford made a defensive stop to get a chance to tie the game, but after a turnover, La Roche scored ten straight to open up the biggest lead of the game.
Trailing by 10 with two minutes left, the Panthers increased their pressure defense and made a push to catch the hosts. After a Norris three, the Panthers turned the Redhawks over twice in the back court and quickly turned it into 4 points. Norris answered a putback layup with a three to put the Panthers behind by four with 27 seconds left. La Roche made a pair of free throws after a Pitt-Bradford timeout, but Rodriguez cut the lead to one possession with a wing three with 8 seconds on the clock. The forced one final turnover on the inbounds play to get a shot to tie the game; however, Rodriguez's turnaround effort bounced off the backboard and rim, ending the game.
Xander Norris led the Panthers with 20 points. He made 7-13 from the field, including 3-8 from three. Jeremy Rodriguez added 19 points in the loss, while Coby Farley and Clarence Cobbins tallied 13 and 12, respectively. Niare Poplar scored 8 points and led the Panthers with 8 rebounds.
The loss drops Pitt-Bradford to 11-8 on the season, with a 6-4 mark in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Monday evening, as they take on Penn State-Altoona on the road.
