Bethlehem, Pa. (Dec. 29, 2023) - Alvernia University Men's Basketball used a strong first half to push past Penn State Behrend, 71-61, in the opening round of the Moravian University Steel Club Classic on Friday night.

With the win, Alvernia improves to 7-3 overall and will face the host Greyhounds in the Steel Club Classic Championship game on Saturday night. Penn State Behrend falls to 6-4 overall and will take on Hunter College in the consolation game Saturday afternoon.

How it Happened

• A quick 3-pointer from Nigel Cooke off the opening tip-off and a layup from Kyle Gordon gave Alvernia the early 5-0 lead after just 36 seconds of action. But, a 14-5 run from the Lions swung the game in Penn State Behrend's direction, 14-10, after five minutes of game time.
• Alvernia retook the lead, 16-14, following a Jakob Kelly jumper and a Malik Slay layup off a Kelly steal. Alvernia then extended it to a 22-14 lead with another Kelly field goal and back-to-back layups from Kegan Hertz as the first half approached its midpoint.
• The Lions stayed close and threatened to retake the lead after a Mason Blankenberg layup with 8:20 to play in the half to cut Alvernia's lead down to one, 25-24. But, a free throw by Alex Cercado and five quick points off the hand of Robert Mullan gave Alvernia back the seven point advantage, 31-24, with 6:07 to play in the half.
• The Golden Wolves kept it rolling over the next three minutes, and a dunk from Hertz off a Jalil Schenck steal gave Alvernia its largest lead of the half, 40-29, with just under three minutes to play.
• The Lions cut Alvernia's lead back to six with under a minute to play, but Alvernia and Schenck had the final say of the half as a Schenck 3-pointer marked the final points of the opening frame and gave Alvernia a 43-34 lead going into the break.
• Alvernia shot 53% from the field in the first half and had 19 points from in the opening 20 minutes. 
• A Mullan jumper marked Alvernia's first points of the second half, and a 3-pointer from Cooke two possessions later gave Alvernia the 12 point advantage, 48-36, in the early minutes of the second half. 
• Both teams found their rhythm from beyond the arc over the next two minutes, with each side hitting two 3-pointers as the Golden Wolves kept the Lions from gaining ground. Alvernia's makes came off the hands of Cercado and Cooke. 
• Alvernia twice more pushed its lead back up to 12 in the opening 10 minutes of the half, but the Lions got back within ten both times. 
• Alvernia went scoreless for nearly five minutes as the game entered the final ten minutes of action, but the Lions could not take advantage as they too were unable to make a shot.
• A layup from Kelly with 6:16 to play broke the scoring drought on both sides and made it a 64-53 game in favor of the Golden Wolves. 
• The Lions threatened with 4:20 on the clock as a jumper and a free throw got Penn State Behrend within eight for the first time in the second half, but a quick five points from Mullan over Alvernia's next two possessions made it a 13 point game, 69-56, with 3:12 to play. Alvernia then took its largest lead of the game, 71-56, on a Kyle Gordon layup with 1:57 to go.
• The Lions scored the final points of the game, but never threatened, as Alvernia took the 71-61 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Kelly led all scorers with 17 points. He shot 8-for-13 from the floor with one made 3-pointer. He also had seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. 
• Hertz finished with a team-high nine rebounds and also had a season-high 11 points.
• Mullan finished with 16 points on 64% shooting and Cooke finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
• Alvernia had 19 points from its bench in the first half, but the bench was held scoreless in the final 20 minutes. 
• Alvernia held the Lions to a 38% field goal percentage, including just 33% shooting in the second half. Alvernia held Penn State to 18% shooting (3-for-16) from beyond the arc in the second half.

Of Note

• This was just the second meeting between Alvernia and Penn State Behrend. The last time the two met was in the 2010 ECAC Championship game where the Lions defeated Alvernia, 79-73.
• This was the fifth game this season that Alvernia held its opponent to a sub-40% field goal percentage. Alvernia has won each of those games. 
• The Golden Wolves committed a season-low 12 fouls, but the Golden Wolves were also sent to the line for just ten attempts.

Up Next

• Alvernia will face Moravian tomorrow evening for the Steel Club Classic Championship game at 5:30 PM. The Greyhounds cruised to a 91-67 win over Hunter College earlier today to reach the championship.
• It will be Alvernia's first time taking on the Greyhounds since the 1990-91 season. Alvernia is 1-3 all-time against Moravian.