Reading, Pa. – The Pitt-Bradford men's basketball team overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to win a one-point thriller, 74-73, on a last second shot over Farmingdale State in the opening round of the Albright Tournament on Sunday, Dec. 29.

With two seconds remaining on the clock and the Panthers trailing by one point, Pitt-Bradford's Eric Matheson snagged a rebound off a blocked shot and made the put back to steal the win from Farmingdale State.

The Panthers had four players score in double figures. Senior Brandon McClester and junior Tyler Fantaskey each finished with a team-high 14 points. McClester had five rebounds and two assists, while Fantaskey added six rebounds and one assist.

Junior Keith Burgess finished with 12 points and five rebounds, and junior Lucas Pichette totaled 11 points, eight rebounds and one assist.

Pitt-Bradford (5-3, 1-1) opened the game on a 5-0 run before allowing the Rams to get on the board. Each team took turns trading points on consecutive possessions to keep the game close.

Tied at 16 points each with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Farmingdale put together a run of its own to take a commanding lead late in the first half. The Rams led by 15 points with four minutes remaining when the Panthers strung together several points in a row and cut the deficit by five.

Heading into the locker room, Farmingdale held a 10-point advantage over the Panthers.

Pitt-Bradford finished the first half shooting 31 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent from behind the arc. The Panthers were 9-of-14 from the free throw line. Farmingdale State headed into the break shooting 51.7 percent from the field but failed to convert a three-point shot in seven attempts. The Rams were 11-of-18 from behind the charity stripe.

Farmingdale State (5-4, 2-1) took the court in the second half with possession of the ball but failed to capitalize on its first possession. The turnover by the Rams gave the Panthers a chance to get back in the contest and they did just that.

At the 17-minute mark of the second period, the Rams had worked their way back to an 11-point lead that was short lived. Pitt-Bradford struck quickly and often over the next several minutes to one point with 12:31 left on the clock.

Despite the attack and string of points by the Panthers, Farmingdale again took a lead late in the game with time beginning to wind down on the Panthers' chances.

With the clock showing 2:36, the Rams were clinging to a six-point advantage when the Panthers went to work. Two turnovers and a missed free throw shot gave Pitt-Bradford the spark it needed to work its way to within three points of the lead.

With under a minute to play, it became a battle at the free throw line with each team exchanging blows and making its shots. It wasn't until two seconds remained on the clock when Matheson was able to get off the shot that sent the Panthers into the championship round.

"That was a very good win for us," said head coach Britt Moore. "We had to battle back and show some toughness. Everyone stepped up and made some big plays, and we are thrilled to get the chance to play for a championship."

The Panthers left the court shooting 38.5 percent from the floor, including 33.3 percent from behind the arc. They were 65.2 percent from behind the free throw line.

Farmingdale State finished the game shooting an eye-popping 57.1 percent from the floor and 22.2 percent from the three-point line. The Rams were 48.4 from the free throw line.

With the win, Pitt-Bradford advances to the championship round and will play tournament-host Albright College on Monday, Dec. 30, at 4 p.m.