La Roche Gets Past Behrend Men’s Basketball

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team dropped its contest on the road, 56-45, at La Roche Wednesday night.

Score: La Roche 56, Penn State Behrend 45

Records: La Roche (2-6, 1-2 AMCC), Penn State Behrend (5-3, 1-2 AMCC)

Key Moments:

* The Redhawks took a 17-15 lead with 7:39 left in the first half and would control the rest of Wednesday's game
* La Roche notched a seven point advantage (27-20) heading into halftime, going on a 10-5 run to end the period
* The Redhawks went on a 10-2 run to start the second half, holding the Lions to only two points in the first seven minutes of the final period
* Behrend would cut the deficit to seven (37-30) with a pair of three-pointers from Isaac DeGregorio (Allison Park, PA/North Catholic) and Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne), followed by a made layup from Blankenberg
* However, La Roche did not allow the Lions to get any closer, continuing to extend its lead and eventually securing its first conference victory of the season
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) led the way for the Lions with 14 points, while Blankenberg and Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) each chipped in seven points
* On the glass, Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) pulled down a team-high six rebounds and DiRienzo recorded five rebounds. Sopko added two steals and two blocks on the defensive end
* La Roche had three players score in double-figures, led by Michael Brooks (14 points) and followed by Dominic Elliot (12 points) and Joe Starzynski (10 points). Isaiah Thomas grabbed a game-high nine rebounds
* The Lions outscored the Redhawks in bench points, 15-6

Up Next:

* Behrend comes back home for a matchup against Mount Aloysius on Saturday, Dec. 9. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m., following the women's game at 2:00 p.m.