WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Penn College opened its 2024-25 campaign with a 101-92 win over Elmira College in a nonconference men's basketball game Friday. The Wildcats improved to 1-0, while the Eagles fell to 0-1.

How it happened: Tied for a fifth time at 39-39, with 1:13 left in the opener, Penn college used three points from both DJ Smith III and Ronn Flood, Jr. in finals seconds to take a 45-42 lead into the break.

After Elmira took its final lead, 49-47, two minutes into the second half, Penn College went on a 15-4 run to lead 62-52 with 14:49 on the clock – Smith (6), Gavin Barrett (4), Livingston Cross (3), and Julien Levelle (2) paced the scoring spurt. The Wildcats took 13-point leads, twice, 70-57, on a Cross trey with 13:09 and a pair of Barrett free throws made it 92-79 with 2:40 on the clock. PCT withstood a late, 13-9 run to end the game.

Inside the box: Cross scored a team-high 24 points and tied for a game-high 14 rebounds. Barrett added 20 points, and eight assists, while Smith (18), Flood (13), and Joe Savage (11) all reached double-digits.

Up next: Penn College returns to action Saturday, 1 p.m., hosting Keuka College.