By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BRADFORD, PA – After a pair of nail-biting, down-to-the-wire contests in the previous week, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s men’s basketball team earned some breathing room, adding to their historic season with a 120-87 win over Houghton.
At a month in, the Panthers’ season has been one of records and achievement. Coming into the game against the Highlanders, Pitt-Bradford stood at 6-0, the best start to a season in program history. Fed by their tough-as-nails, sharp-as-knives defense, the Panthers’ offense ranked third in the NCAA Division III for scoring as they routinely post triple-digit points – 105 to be exact.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been challengers and close calls, however. Three of the Panthers’ matchups this season have been decided by two baskets or less, including their recent game against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Mt. Aloysius on Saturday. In their league opener, the Panthers witnessed their 29-point lead vanish, replaced with a tooth-and-nail battle for that first conference win.
“Hindsight, I was not thrilled after that game but then you sleep on it, you watch the film and I thought, ‘well, we got the win,’” said Pitt-Bradford head coach Jesse DeLoof. “Maybe we’ll dodge a bullet later on in the year knowing that we need to keep our foot on the gas.”
Needless to say, rather than another toss up, they were going to put the pedal down against Houghton. Unfortunately, their engines took a little time to warm up.
Coming out of the gates, the Highlanders found some gaps in Pitt-Bradford’s prolific full-court-press. While the Panthers were still able to poke away passes and pressure ball handlers into giving away possessions, Houghton was able to beat it on numerous occasions. Using long, lobbed outlet passes, the Highlanders found teammates downcourt for scores close to the rim. After the initial wave of pressure, the press ebbed into a wide open court on the other end.
Still, the Panthers’ offense was able to keep them in front, albeit slightly. Burying shots from inside, outside and in between, Pitt-Bradford kept themselves level early on. However, after the first tie of the game around the 15-minute mark, Houghton would take their first lead not long after, with Jajuan Preaster hitting a turnaround jumper to take a one-point advantage.
Without taking a timeout, the Panthers sprung to action. Starting with a steal and slam from Jamarion Butler, Pitt-Bradford revitalized their defense into the ball-stealing weapon it is known to be. With that, they would launch their first major run of the night.
Over the next four minutes, Pitt-Braford would come away with five steals while scoring 15 unanswered points, putting themselves firmly in the driver’s seat. While the Highlanders would end their drought with 10 minutes left, they couldn’t stop the bleeding as they were outscored 18-5 in the next three minutes. Having still five and a half minutes before the break, the Panthers found themselves on top of a 46-25 advantage.
Keshon Kittrell knocks down a shot from beyond the arc during Pitt-Bradford’s seventh consecutive win to start the season. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Pitt-Bradford was firing on all cylinders and as Houghton’s attempts to push the break went in vain, they faced a 27-point deficit heading into the intermission. During their surge, the Panthers made sure to spread the love, with four guys ending the first half with double-digit points.
“(Our unselfishness) is somewhat ingrained in the system. Guys know they’re going to get touches. We get so many field goal attempts, you’re going to get yours,” said DeLoof. “As long as we play good defense, you’re going to get touches in transition. Everyone seems to get their hands on the ball at some point and we have a great group of older guys who are just worried about winning and whatever that takes.”
Given their recent history against Mt. Aloysius, the Panthers stayed with their main rotational guys deep into the second half. As they continued to put up numbers and run up the score, a listless Houghton squad seemed powerless to do anything but watch. Finally putting in the bench’s reserves, the Panthers cruised to their seventh consecutive win.
Four Panthers ended in double-digit scoring, with Braylen Salters and Butler scoring 24 and 21, respectively. Butler also tallied nine rebounds, three steals and three assists while Coby Farley and Xander Norris both scored 15 points.
Over the next four games, Pitt-Bradford will face just one more AMCC opponent, Hilbert on Saturday, Dec. 14 at home. Then, following the holiday break, they will move into conference play starting with defending champions La Roche on the road on Saturday, Jan. 4.
“Water’s always going to find its level. You’re not always going to catch a break. You’re going to get a bad call, one’s going to bounce off your foot, so we don’t want to be in a ton of close games” said DeLoof. “Those are just toss ups at a certain point. We just want to keep our foot on the gas.”
AT BRADFORD
Houghton (87)
Preaster 11 0-1 22, Sage 7 0-0 17, Bellamy 7 1-2 15, Flatt 4 0-0 11, Thomas 3 0-0 7, Idzi 2 1-4 5, Cole 1 2-2 4, Barroso 1 0-0 3, Kural 1 1-2 3 Totals: 37 5-12 87
Pitt Bradford (120)
Salters 9 2-2 24, Butler 8 4-4 21, Farley 6 1-1 15, Norris 6 0-0 15, Yarbrough 5 3-4 14, Laster 4 3-4 12, Kittrell 2 1-1 6, Martin 1 0-0 3, Boone 0 2-2 2, Brown 1 0-0 2, Richards 1 0-0 2, Sanchez 0 2-2 2, Starks 1 0-0 2. Totals: 44 18-21 120
Three-point goals: HGT (8) Flatt 3, Sage 3, Thomas, Barroso, UPB (14) Salter 4, Norris 3, Farley 2, Butler, Kittrell, Laster, Yarbrough, Joncas; Total fouls: HGT 16, UPB 16; fouled out: None.
