The Pitt-Bradford men’s basketball team scored their most points in a game since the 2005-06 season, beating Penn State-DuBois 116-90 on Saturday.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 3-0, the first time they have started the season with three straight wins since the 2012-13 season.
The Panthers never trailed in the game, as Jamarion Butler opened the scoring with a layup on the game’s opening possession. Xavion Boone and Braylen Salters each made layups to keep the Panthers ahead, but the Lions quickly answered with a fast break dunk and a tip-in to tie the game at 8. Salters answered with a pair of three-pointers, giving Pitt-Bradford the lead for good.
Leading 16-14, Pitt-Bradford went on a 20-3 run to take control of the game. The Panthers had back-to-back dunks in the run, energizing the crowd. Rodd Yarbrough had the first, as he was found with a long pass to beat the press for a fast break basket. After a turnover, Salters touched a pass to Butler who threw down a two-handed slam through contact for a three-point play. The rally was punctuated by a pair of threes from Keshon Kittrell, giving the Panthers a 36-17 lead.
Penn State-DuBois took advantage of a Pitt-Bradford cold streak, cutting their lead down to 9 with a 13-3 run. Rodd Yarbrough hit a jumper to stop the rally, and Salters added a field goal and four free throws to push the lead back to 16. In the final minute of the first, Logan Joncas made a three on a second-chance opportunity and Butler made a last-second layup to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 54-34.
The Panthers came out of the break firing on all cylinders as Boone made a three on the Panthers’ first possession and Jesse Laster hit a mid-range jumper after a Lion putback. Kittrell hit two straight inside and then after stealing the ball found Laser for a bucket to give Pitt-Bradford a 65-39 lead.
With 12 minutes remaining, Joncas hit a pair of threes on consecutive possessions to give the Panthers their largest lead of the game at 31 points. After Tra Edwards scored 5 straight for the Panthers, Xander Norris took over, scoring 9 in a row. He made two put-backs, a pair of free throws, and a three in the stretch.
Pitt-Bradford expanded the rotation for the final 10 minutes of the game, which was followed by a Penn State DuBois rally that cut the lead to 18. Nasier Starks made a layup with 5:11 on the clock, putting the Panthers over the century mark for the second time in three games. Blake Kriznaric made a putback layup and then Jaheim Mims made a pull-up jumper and an acrobatic layup in the final minutes. Dante Sanchez hit a corner three with 24 seconds left to finish the scoring in the game.
Sixteen different Panthers scored in the game, led by Braylen Salters, who finished with 23. Salters made 7-10 from the field, including 3-5 from three, and made all 6 free throws he attempted. Keshon Kittrell made 5-7 from the field to finish with 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Xander Norris provided a spark off the bench, scoring 13 points while leading the Panthers with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Rodd Yarbrough also reached double-figures, scoring 10 points in the win.
On Wednesday the Panthers will host Alfred, looking for their fourth consecutive win to begin the season, giving the program its best start since joining the NCAA. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m at the KOA Arena.
