Men's basketball earns first victory of the season

The first five games of the season seemed to be a struggle for the men’s basketball team. They always put up a good fight but the last few minutes were the true battle. Falling to teams by less than ten points in almost every face-off was not the way the men wanted to start their season. Things are turning around for this team with their win against Penn State Altoona on Saturday.

The men had two conference match-ups this week. The first was against Medaille and the second was at Altoona. Wednesday’s game did not end in the Lions favor. They certainly gave the Mavericks a fight coming within three points with just a minute left to play. Foul after foul, the game slipped away.

The last time these teams met was in the AMCC semi-finals last year. Behrend walked away from that with the win, 58-51. Medaille also handed the Lions their first conference loss last year on Jan. 19 with a final score of 60-53.

It’s always a battle when these teams meet up and this game was no exception. It was a back-and-forth battle for baskets. Junior center Russ Conley led Behrend with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Pat St. Andrews added eight points and two assists.

A lot of the new players this year have made a big impact. The Lions have eight new freshmen along with sophomore Casey Courneen who is a transfer from St. John Fisher.

“The new players have been a very important part of our team this year,” said junior forward Adam Palcic. “They’re being asked to do new things, but they are responding well.”

It takes time for new players to adjust to the college system but they seem to be picking it up quickly. The six returning players from last year are leading the team well and getting everyone else in the groove of the way Behrend basketball is played.

“The new players are very talented and have a lot of potential,” St. Andrews said. “It has taken a little while for the new players to get adjusted to the college game and our system, but things are starting to click for everyone.”

After the disappointing loss, Behrend headed to Penn State Altoona on Saturday. The game ended in Behrend’s favor, 71-61 to give them their first win of the season. Conley was a huge contributor scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Courneen added 20 points.

This was a crucial match-up for the Lions. It was their second conference game of the season and the confidence booster they needed. This is a young team with a lot of talent. This game was the perfect way to get on track.

Behrend has two more conference match-ups this week. They face Hilbert on Wednesday and La Roche on Saturday. Both of these games are in the Junker Center.

“We look to build on the momentum from our win at Altoona and carry the momentum into practice and games this week,” St. Andrews said.