Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team returned home on Wednesday night for an AMCC matchup with Alfred State. The Panthers opened up a 20-point halftime lead over the Pioneers and coasted to a 120-92 win.
Jeremy Rodriguez got off to a hot start, opening the game with a steal and a layup. He went on to score the first 13 points for the Panthers, hitting 3 threes and two layups in just over 4 minutes of action. The Panthers continued adding to their early lead with layups by Xavion Boone and Xander Norris at the 12-minute mark, but Pitt-Bradford followed with a short dry spell, which allowed the Pioneers to score 7 of 9 points to cut the advantage to 4.
Norris ended the rally with a pull-up three, which started a run that saw the Panthers make 6 threes in seven possessions. Norris and Farley hit two apiece, while Kaleb Pryor and Maki Hill each added one. The Hill longball capped a 20-8 run that pushed the lead to 17. The run was slowed by an Alfred State three, but the Panthers followed with 9 unanswered. David Ramos made a short hook shot to start the run before Logan Joncas made a three from the wing, and Boone and Rodriguez each added layups. In the final minutes, Rodriguez tacked on 5 more points, and Norris added two from the line to send the game to halftime with the Panthers leading 64-44.
Pitt-Bradford had another quick start after the break. Xander Norris stole the ball on the opening possession and fed Clarence Cobbins for a fast break dunk. They answered a Pioneer jumpshot with a pair of layups and then a free throw with another slam dunk, this one by Poplar. With 16 minutes remaining, the visitors found success on the offensive end, but could not cut into the lead as Tra Edwards made a three and Xavion Boone added a pair of layups.
With 8 minutes remaining, Kaleb Pryor caught fire from beyond the arc, making three consecutive threes. Rodriguez scored 4 more points with 6 minutes left, and Niare Poplar threw down a dunk and made a layup to close his day on the break. In the final minute,s Dante Sanchez made a three, while Tommy Walton converted a dunk, and Nasir Starks made a pair of jump shots.
Six different Panthers reached double figures in the win, led by Jeremy Rodriguez, who finished with 30. He made 11-16 from the field, including 6-10 from three. He also tallied 3 rebounds, 3 assist and 4 steals. Xander Norris scored 20, while starters Xavion Boone and Niare Poplar scored 12 and 10, respectively. Kaleb Pryor made 4 threes off the bench to finish with 14, while Coby Farley added 10.
The victory pushed the Panthers to 12-9 on the season with a 7-5 record in conference play. They will play their final regular-season home game on Saturday, as they host Carlow as part of a doubleheader. The contest will begin at approximately 4:00 p.m.
