(ALTOONA, PA:) Penn State Altoona grabbed 20 offensive
rebounds and converted 17 second chance points to stave off visiting
Pitt-Bradford 58-55 Wednesday evening at the Adler Gym. The Lions improved
to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while the
Panthers fell to 5-3 and 2-1 in the AMCC.
After a Mike Dancer (Montgomeryville, PA/North Penn) triple gave
the hosts a 52-41 lead with 11:29 remaining, Altoona would score only two field
goals and six total points the rest of the game. Zach Moore converted a
lay up and Aaron Stang hit two free throws to bring Bradford within three points
(56-53) at the 4:40 mark.
Neither team would score in the next three minutes until Panther
forward J.D. Redington made two freebees with a minute and change remaining to
cut the deficit to 56-55. After Lion forward Quintin Dziabo (Cresson,
PA/Cresson) misfired on a jumper, Bradford turned the ball over with 21 ticks
remaining and was forced to foul. After two straight one-and-one misses
from the charity stripe and a Panther failed lay up, junior Colin Geiger
(Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) sank two foul shots with six seconds left and
Bradford's Shawn Spindler clanked the tying three at the buzzer to end the game.
The Lions shot just 23-68 from the field (33.8%), 4-17 from
three point land, and 8-16 from the free throw line. Bradford attempted 22
fewer shots but made only two less field goals, connecting on 21-46 shots.
Freshman Kirk Peters (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna Township) led a
balanced Penn State Altoona attack with 13 points and a career high nine
rebounds. Dziabo and Colin Geiger (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) chipped in
eight points apiece while Dancer, Fran Kuntz (Camp Hill, PA/Trinity), and Justin
Gasbarre (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) each scored seven.
UPB was fronted by Redington's 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Four other players had at least seven points for the Panthers, who lost for the
second straight season at the Adler Gym.
Penn State Altoona got 26 points from its bench and forced
Bradford into 16 turnovers that led to 14 points.
By night's end, the Panthers, who were already playing without
leading scorer Jess Whelan, lost Moore and fellow starting forward Mark Austin
to injuries.
Altoona opened the game on a 9-0 run and held its biggest
advantage of the night when Dancer drained a three pointer with 8:11 left in the
first half to push the lead to 27-13. Trailing by 12 with five minutes
left in the period, Bradford would close the half on an 8-0 run to set the 34-30
score at intermission.
The Lions, who won their second straight game and sit above .500
in conference action for the first time in program history, take on AMCC
powerhouse Lake Erie College Saturday at 3:00 PM at the Adler Gym.
CONTACT: Penn
State Altoona Sports Information
Steve Crider -- SID
814-949-5173
sac310@psu.edu
