Men's basketball seniors
Tyler Schueck
78
Bryn Athyn BACM 0-9, 0-3 NEAC
83
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM 3-7, 3-1 NEAC
Bryn Athyn BACM
0-9, 0-3 NEAC
78
Final
83
Penn State Berks PSBM
3-7, 3-1 NEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Bryn Athyn BACM 38 40 78
Penn State Berks PSBM 33 50 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Late surge leads Nittany Lions to win over Bryn Athyn

READING, PA - Christian Burggraf knocked down three 3-pointers in the midst of a 16-0 run that powered the Penn State Berks men's basketball team to a come-from-behind 83-78 victory over Bryn Athyn College in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) South Division contest on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Community Center.

The Nittany Lions (3-7, 3-1  NEAC South) struggled down the stretch in the opening half that saw Bryn Athyn take a 38-33 lead into the halftime intermission. The second half did not get much better for Berks, as the Lions stretched their lead to 59-49 with 11:08 left in regulation and took its biggest lead of 13 points with 7:02 to play.

That is when Berks began to mount its comeback, beginning with an old-fashioned three-point play by Michael Aldridge. Burggraf had a floater in traffic blocked, but Aldridge grabbed the rebound out of midair and got fouled during the put back. He then knocked down his shot at the foul line to cut the deficit to 69-59. After a couple of empty possessions, Dameon Nixon intercepted a pass at midcourt and added a fast break layup to cut it to eight points. On the ensuing possession, Burggraf record a steal on defense, dribbled down the court and knocked down a three in the defenders face to make the score 69-64 in favor of Bryn Athyn. Aldridge pulled down a defensive rebound on the next play, Nixon got the outlet pass and immediately found Burggraf in the corner, who hit another long distance basket to make it a two-point deficit with 4:06 to play.

Joel Ellison hit a pair of free throws to knot the game at 69-all and Berks took the lead on the next possession after another three by Burggraf, this time with 3:17 to play. It was the Nittany Lions first lead since 21-19 with 12:30 left in the first half. Berks went 9-of-14 at the foul line in the final three minutes to secure the win.

Burggraf finished with a contest-high 27 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the floor, including four baskets from beyond the arc. Aldridge recorded his second straight double-double after recording 15 points and game-high 17 rebounds (eight offense, nine defense). Ellison, who was limited to three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, came to life in the second half to record his second double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 boards. Nixon finished the contest with 13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, while Baba Waples added 10 points, four boards, and two assists.

The Nittany Lions finished the game 21-for-32 (65.1%) at the foul line, compared to 9-for-22 (40.9%) by Bryn Athyn. In addition, Berks held a +5 advantage in rebounds (47-24) and committed half as many turnovers (8-16) as the Lions.

Nick Cereby knocked down seven 3-pointers and led Bryn Athyn with 25 points to go along with his five blocks and five rebounds. Troy Steed added 20 points and eight boards, while James Flagg and Adonis Rosario each chipped in 10 points.

The Nittany Lions will travel to Cazenovia College for a NEAC crossover contest on Saturday, January 16 at 1 p.m. They will then continue their road trip with a game at Morrisville State College on Sunday, January 17 at 12 p.m.
 
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