Britt Moore and his team must have been feeling a little snakebitten to close out 2016. After three close losses, however, the Pitt-Bradford men started the New Year fresh with a convincing 83-68 victory over Penn State-Altoona (4-7, 3-2) on Wednesday night.
“It’s a big reason why you do it, to walk into that locker room and see everyone excited,” coach Moore said. “We had three tough ones in a row by a total of nine points, so we knew we were right there. We put together for more moments in this game and I think it showed.”
After falling behind early, the Panthers claimed the lead midway through the first half and never looked back.
The biggest difference between this game and UPB’s close losses in the past few weeks was its ability to hit the three at crucial times. The Panthers were led in this category by Fateem Brockington (19 points), Christian Perkins (15), and Manny Welch (11), who combined to go 10 for 21 from long range. Overall UPB shot 46 percent from beyond the arc.
“It’s pretty simple for us: when we shoot well, we’re good,” Moore said. “We have enough guys who can do it. We don’t have any elite, elite shooters, but we have enough really good shooters and they can spread it out.”
That allowed forward Evan Greening to have his way inside. The senior had a huge night, finishing with 16 points and 20 rebounds.
“It’s what he does,” Moore said with a chuckle about his stud senior. “We challenged him defensively this week, we got on him in practice. I think he stepped up on that side of the ball. That’s what matters for him. He’s going to get a double-double every game, essentially, as long as he’s not sick. He’s just got to do it on the defensive end. He’s got to bring better effort guarding the post and defensive rebounding and I thought he did that and that was more important for us than anything.”
Anton Lucas led the Lions with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Quinn Luhr also scored 15 points.
Pitt-Bradford (4-6, 2-3) will host Penn State-Behrend on Saturday at 3 p.m.
