BUFFALO, Ny. - After a solid opening half in which the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team shot 55.2% and led by as many as 12 over host Medaille, it was a cold-shooting second half and decisive 19-2 run midway through the period that allowed the Mavericks to pull out a 78-73 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference win Saturday afternoon.

Leading 52-43 with 16:28 remaining in the game, things fell apart for the Lions as Medaille scored seven straight points and added another 12 straight after a Herschell Warren (Philadelphia, PA/Simon Gratz) lay up to grab a 62-54 lead at the 8:44 mark.

The hosts would not allow Penn State Altoona to get closer than six while pushing the advantage to 15 on two occasions.  The Lions did score the game's final 10 points in the waning 45 seconds, but the squad connected on only 10-of-31 field goals in the period for 32.3%.

Fifteen players saw floor time for the victors including Ricky Reed, who scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  Teammate Keith Hack added 19 and went 6-of-9 at the charity stripe where Medaille held a 15-10 advantage in made free throws.

Altoona used a series of first-half runs to claim the lead for most of the period including its largest advantage at 24-12.  The Lions shot particularly well from downtown on the night, hitting 11-of-22 treys compared to 7-of-19 3-point shooting by Medaille.

Senior Colin Geiger (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) scored a game-high 24 points, and brother Curtis (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) added 20.  Curtis was 6-of-7 from behind the arc, while Colin nailed three triples of his own and hit 9-of-10 foul shots.

Sophomore Kirk Peters (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna Township) chipped in 13 points and four steals for the Lions, which led 41-35 at halftime.

Penn State Altoona won the turnover battle, forcing 19 Medaille giveaways that resulted in 29 points.  However, the Mavs controlled the painted area 38-24 and out-rebounded the Lions 32-21.

Colin Geiger is just 24 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career and becoming the fourth men's player to reach the milestone.

The Lions (7-7, 4-3) are back in action this Monday, January 19, for an 8:00 PM home tip against Mount Aloysius at the Adler Gym.