PITTSBURGH - The Pitt-Bradford men's basketball team used a strong second half performance to defeat the La Roche Redhawks 68-67 in a wild overtime finish on Saturday, Feb. 8. After trailing at the break, the Panthers outscored the Redhawks 32-27 to force OT.

Junior Keith Burgess led all scorers with 24 points, four rebounds and one assist. Junior Lucas Pichette capped off a solid performance in the paint with 17 points and five rebounds.

Pitt-Bradford (13-8, 9-5) had its hands full during the first twenty minutes of action. The Panthers struck first with a free throw from Pichette and a short jumper from Burgess to go up 3-0. They were able to maintain the lead for the first six minutes of play before the Redhawks' offense went to work.

Three turnovers in a row hurt the Panthers offensively, and the Redhawks were able to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.

With seven minutes remaining until halftime, the Panthers trailed by nine points. Junior Tyler Fantaskey connected on a big triple that gave Pitt-Bradford the momentum it needed to cut the deficit. Minutes later, Pichette laid one in off the glass to bring the Panthers within five.

A triple by freshman Zach Smith brought the Panthers within two, but La Roche was able to tack on several points at the end of the half to head to the locker room with the lead, 33-28.

Pitt-Bradford finished the first half shooting 45.5 percent from the field, including 25 percent from behind the arc. The Panthers were 6-of-10 from the line.

The Redhawks shot 36.7 percent from the floor in the first twenty minutes, including 30 percent on triples. They were 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

La Roche (12-9, 8-6) struck first to begin the second period. The Redhawks got on the board quickly with a jump shot from Tabron Daron just 15 seconds into play.

After Daron's basket, the game became a chess match with each team taking turns finding the bucket. The Redhawks worked their way to an eight-point lead with four minutes left on the clock after a three-pointer from Andre Flanigan.

The Panthers appeared to be losing momentum and gas as the lead stuck for the next few minutes. A layup by sophomore Colton Holzwarth with 1:29 to play, put the Panthers back in control of the game with little time left. Fantaskey's shot off the boards moments later brought the game to within one point with less than a minute to play.

With just one second remaining and the Panthers down by two, the Redhawks fouled Burgess, sending him to the line with two shots. Burgess came through in the clutch, sinking both shots and sending the game into OT.

In OT, Pitt-Bradford never lost its edge and as a result, never lost the lead. La Roche found a way to tie the game, 66-66, with two minutes to go. The Panthers broke the tie seconds later and went on to close out the game, sealing a big victory on the road.

"This game showed our team's ability to keep fighting," said head coach Britt Moore. "We were in some tough positions, but managed to find a way to win."

The Panthers finished the afternoon shooting 47.1 percent, including just 16.7 percent from behind the arc. They were 18-of-23 from the charity stripe.

La Roche shot 39 percent from the floor, including 26.1 percent from three-point land. The Redhawks were 15-of-27 from the line, equaling the difference in the game.

Pitt-Bradford returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, Feb. 12, as Hilbert comes to town for a 6 p.m. tipoff at the KOA Arena.