Lions Secure Opening Night Win Over Tomcats

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with an 81-62 victory over Thiel at the Junker Center Wednesday night.

Score: Penn State Behrend 81, Thiel 62

Records: Penn State Behrend (1-0), Thiel (0-1)

Key Moments:

* Behrend went ahead 11-4 to start Wednesday's contest, however the Tomcats were able to cut the deficit to 13-11 with a 7-2 run of their own
* Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) led all scorers with 15 first half points, while Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) and Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) each chipped in eight points in the first frame
* The Lions headed into halftime with a 46-28 advantage
* DiRienzo added 11 points in the second half to finish with 19 total points and collected 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season
* McDonough tallied a game-high 22 points, shooting 8-12 from the field and 4-7 from beyond the arc
* Behrend's final player to score in double-figures was Sopko, who recorded a career-high 12 points along with five rebounds
* The leading scorer for Thiel was Rayshod Hooper (14 points), followed by Gabriel Gonzalez's nine points. Hooper also led the team on the glass, finishing with eight rebounds
* As a team, the Lions shot 31-55 from the field (56.4%) and 9-26 (34.6%) from three. Behrend outrebounded Thiel, 34-30, and registered eight steals on 10 Tomcat turnovers

Up Next:

* The Lions remain at home with a matchup against Fredonia on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.