Lions Cruise Past Franciscan

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team defeated Franciscan 65-26 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions (8-4, 4-1 AMCC) held the Barons to just 13 points in each half, rolling to a 39 point victory.

Behrend handled Franciscan on both ends of the court.  The Lions opened the game on a 19-4 run.  Six different Behrend players scored in the first 12 minutes of the contest.  After a made layup by the Barons, the Lions' offense kept it going.  Behrend put up 10 straight points to push the lead to 29-6, and eventually 31-13 at the break.

With the start of the second half underway, the Lions once again netted 10 consecutive points.  The defense clamped down, holding Franciscan scoreless until the 12:24 mark.  With less than eight minutes to play, the Behrend offense erupted again.  Danny Kress (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) capped a 15-0 run with a free throw, helping the Lions earn their third straight victory.

Pat St. Andrews (State College, PA/State College) led all scorers with a season-high 14 points.  Despite only shooting 11.8 percent from beyond the arc, the Behrend offense had 12 different players score.  The Lions also dominated the glass 34-22 and forced 17 turnovers.

Behrend will be back in action tomorrow at Penn State Altoona with tip-off set for 3 p.m.