HOLLAND, MI:  Pitt-Greensburg men's basketball lost a pair of contests this weekend at the Holland Sentinel/Russ Devette Classic hosted by Hope College. 

On Friday, the Bobcats squared off against the host school, Hope, an NCAA tournament team from just a year ago.  Coincidently, Hope was knocked out of the NCAA tournament last year by AMCC champion Penn State Behrend. 

It was certainly a difficult test for the Bobcats, who found themselves on the wrong end of a one-sided matchup, falling 121-73.  The talented Flying Dutchman squad built a commanding first half lead and never looked back.  Hope shot an impressive 61% from the floor including 14 of 24 from three point range.  Pitt-Greensburg played a much better second half, posting 45 points on 47% shooting from the floor.  Three Bobcats scored in double digits, led by Jerell Figueroa who had a team high 18 points.  Sixth man Mike Connelly added 14 points off the bench while forward Marcus Thomas added 13 points to go along with 5 rebounds. 

On Saturday, Pitt-Greensburg fell to Olivet College 73-70, with the outcome decided in the game's final seconds.  UPG had the ball down by three with under 15 seconds remaining and after a missed three point attempt by Brian Heinle, the Bobcats were forced to foul.  UPG tried to take advantage of a missed Olivet free throw, but a last second attempt by Mike Connelly fell short as time expired.

UPG got up early on Olivet, scoring the game's first 7 points but still found themselves trailing 44-38 at the half.  Solid second half defense helped the Bobcats get back into the game, however they struggled from three point range in the second half, shooting just 1 of 8 from behind the arc.

Leading the way for Pitt-Greensburg was forward Marcus Thomas, who posted his 4^th double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  Junior Rocco Contristano had 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Heinle and Figueroa each added 10 points apiece.

UPG (3-7, 3-0 AMCC) will be off until 2015 when they return home to resume their AMCC schedule with a January 7^th contest against Franciscan University.  Tip-off is set for 8pm in Chambers Hall.