a {
text-decoration: none;
color: #464feb;
}
tr th, tr td {
border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;
}
tr th {
background-color: #f5f5f5;
}
Pitt-Greensburg men's basketball mounted a spirited second-half rally and celebrated a major milestone, but came up short in a 72–66 road loss to Penn State Behrend on Wednesday night at the Junker Center. The Bobcats drop to 11–2 overall and 3–1 in AMCC play, while Behrend remains unbeaten in the conference at 5–0.
The game featured five ties and five lead changes, with Pitt-Greensburg briefly holding the advantage late in the first half. After falling behind early, Ty Keffer sparked the Bobcats with a steal and fastbreak layup at the 7:30 mark, then knocked down two free throws to give UPG its first lead at 20–19. Moments later, Keffer added a jumper and Michael Bigley scored inside to cap a 6–0 run for a 24–21 edge. Behrend responded, however, closing the half on a 12–2 spurt that included a Jacob Dunkle tip-in and free throw and a Mason Blankenberg layup at the buzzer for a 33–26 lead.
The Bobcats came out firing after the break. Trent Rozich scored in transition to cut the deficit to seven, then added another layup off a feed from Bigley. That bucket was historic—Rozich became the newest member of Pitt-Greensburg's 1,000-point club, reaching the milestone early in the second half. He wasn't done, drilling a three-pointer at 13:15 and another at 1:35 to keep the Bobcats within striking distance. Jackson Byer buried a three-pointer from the wing at 14:20, and Ty Keffer's second triple of the night trimmed the margin to four possessions at 11:51, but Behrend answered at the foul line and in the paint to keep control.
Pitt-Greensburg continued to fight down the stretch. Byer hit another three with 2:43 remaining and converted a layup on the next trip to make it 56–66. After Rozich's late three and Matthew Marinchak's corner triple with 20 seconds left, the Bobcats were within five, but Behrend sealed the win at the line.
Rozich finished with 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and three assists to go along with his milestone moment. Keffer led the Bobcats with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including two threes, and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the stripe while adding two steals. Byer matched him with 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Bigley chipped in eight points and five boards.
As a team, Pitt-Greensburg shot 46.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three, hitting six triples in the second half. The Bobcats outscored Behrend 40–39 after halftime and finished with 24 points in the paint and 10 points off turnovers. Behrend countered with 51.1 percent shooting and 19-of-26 free throws to preserve its lead.
The Bobcats will return to action on Saturday as they look to rebound after this two-game skid, as they travel to Carlow for a 4PM tip.
