Dallas, Pa. – Pitt-Bradford's men's basketball team fell to Baptist Bible on opening night 91-80 in the first round of the Misericordia Tournament on Friday night. The Panthers held a 15 point advantage heading into halftime but were unable to maintain the lead.

Pitt-Bradford (0-1, 0-0) started fast, hitting 13-of-28 from the floor in the first half compared to Baptist Bible's 8-of-30. The Panthers also held the advantage in three point attempts, shooting 23.1 percent to just 7.7 percent from the Defenders.

Keith Burgess picked up where he left off a year ago, draining three, three-point shots and finishing the night with 15 points, one rebound and one assist. He shared the lead in scoring with Zach Smith, who finished his evening with 15 points, five rebounds and one assist.

The Panthers held the advantage and the momentum heading into the break, but were unable to sustain either in the second half.

Baptist Bible (1-0, 0-0) took the court with urgency to begin play and outscored Pitt-Bradford 66-40. The Panthers fell to just 34.3 percent from the floor, compared to 79.2 percent from Baptist Bible.

The Defenders nailed a whopping 8-of-9 attempts from the three-point line, tallying 88.9 percent in the second half.

The Panthers will take the court again at 4 p.m. tomorrow to face the loser between tournament-host Misericordia and the Marywood Pacers.