LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fl. - Senior guard Colin Geiger (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team shot a blazing 59.3% from the floor as it beat Neumann College 64-56 Saturday night in the opening round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Holiday Festival. 

The Lions shot 60% from the field (15-of-25) in the opening period and 58.8% (10-of-17) in the second half while Neumann connected on 55% of its attempts in the first 20 minutes but made just eight baskets in 27 tries (29.6%) in half number two.

Geiger, who also made three treys, was joined in double figures by teammates Justin Gasbarre (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) and Sean Stewart (West Chester, PA/Unionville) with 10 apiece.  Two other Lions tallied seven points, and point guard Zach Spitz (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna Township) added five points and dished out nine assists.

Neumann got 13 points and five assists from Na'Sheed Linton.  Michael Hitchens chipped in 10 for the Knights, who went 16-of-25 (64%) from the charity stripe on the night.

The Lions were also hot from beyond the arc, connecting on 7-of-17 3-pointers for better than 40% compared to only two made 3-pointers by Neumann.  Gasbarre canned three of Penn State Altoona's long balls, two of which came in a 55-second span early in the first half.

The back-and-forth game saw a combined six ties and 13 lead changes.  Leading 51-50 with 6:05 remaining in the contest, Penn State Altoona went on a decisive 8-0 run over the next four minutes, and Neumann endured a nearly five-minute scoring drought before a free throw by Marquise Boggs cut the deficit to 59-51 with 1:53 left.

The Knights got to within five with 53 seconds on the clock, but Spitz drained two free throws and added the game's last basket to set the final.  After not attempting a single foul shot in the opening period, the Lions struggled at the stripe over the final 20 minutes, going 8-for-16.

Neumann led 28-27 with 4:29 left in the first half before a 7-0 Lion run capped by a Geiger triple pushed Altoona to its biggest lead of the period.  The Knights scored four points before the final buzzer and trailed 34-32 at intermission.

Penn State Altoona (5-4) advances to the bracket championship game against Johns Hopkins University, who claimed a 62-47 victory over Roger Williams University on Saturday.  The Lions and Blue Jays meet Sunday night at 8:00 PM in Disney's Milkhouse Arena.