STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – Defensive turnovers and a strong night shooting keyed a 90-79 victory for the Pitt-Bradford men's basketball team over the Franciscan Barons on Sunday.
Pitt-Bradford (3-3, 1-0) made it look easy from the opening tip, as the Panthers led the entire contest. The men improved their record to .500 for the season while also earning their first victory in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play.
The Panthers forced a total of 20 turnovers and were responsible for just eight of their own.
Sophomore Zach Smith enjoyed a stellar night on the court, finishing with 24 points and seven rebounds to guide the Panther's efforts. Smith was 8-for-10 from the field, 4-for-5 from behind the arc and 4-for-4 from the line. Junior Eric Matheson registered 16 points, one rebound and one assist.
Senior Keith Burgess tallied 15 points, two rebounds and one assist, while fellow senior Hiree Peoples notched 13 points, three rebounds and two assists. Peoples also collected a team-high four steals.
Smith started the scoring spree with a tip-in for the night's first bucket 30 seconds into the contest. Midway through the first period the Panthers had built a double-digit lead after Matheson laid one in off the glass.
Pitt-Bradford continued to cruise for the remainder of the half and entered the locker room holding a 16-point advantage, 48-32.
The second half picked up where the first left off. The Panthers only trailed by less than double digits for three seconds in a dominating performance that included a brief lead of 20 points at the 6:03 mark.
Strong defense and a striking offense paved the way for Pitt-Bradford to close out a big win to begin its conference slate.
"We are really happy to open up league play with a win," said head coach Britt Moore. "We were focused and everyone played a role in the victory. They are an excellent shooting team and made some tough shots."
For the game, the Panthers shot 52.6 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from three. They were 23-for-31 from the line.
Franciscan (2-4, 0-2) finished the game shooting 56.5 percent and 37.5 percent (6-for-16) from behind the arc. The Barons were 21-for-27 from the stripe.
Pitt-Bradford now shifts its focus to Pitt-Greensburg as the Bobcats come to the KOA Arena on Saturday, Dec. 13. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.