Box Score WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Penn College overcame an 18-point deficit late in the first half and rallied for a 73-63 win over Alfred State in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday. The Wildcats earned their first win of the season and improved to 1-5, while the Pioneers dropped to 1-8.
Four players reached double figures for Penn College, led by
Thomas Ross and
Bryce Lonsway, who each netted 14.
Kevin Laurence-El and
Joseph Mangiero pumped in 13 apiece.
Ezra Adams grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and Ross recorded 10 boards.
Justin Wallace scored a game-high 15 points for Alfred State, Adam Fezza added 14 and Tommy Hutson had 13.
Deadlocked at 5-5 early in the game, the Pioneers exploded for a 19-1 scoring run to lead 24-6 with 6:39 left before the break. A pair of Laurence-El free throws got the Wildcats within 10, 31-21, with 2:30 left in the opener and a Mangiero trey just before the half put PCT within nine, 36-27, at halftime.
The Wildcats used a 10-0 run to open the second half – on threes from Ross and Lonsway and layups by Ross and
Marquis Delgado – to lead 37-36 with 17:27 left in the game. After two more ties, Penn College pulled away with an 18-4 run, spanning nearly 10 minutes, to take a 57-43 lead with 8:49 left. Ross scored five in the run and
Nathaniel Brown added four.
Alfred State managed to get as close as six, 69-63, with 54 seconds left but the Wildcats iced the game at the line, going 4 of 6 from the stripe in the final 28 seconds.
Penn College returns to action Saturday, 3 p.m., hosting Wilson in a NEAC contest.
