Beaver Slips to Wilkes-Barre in Senior Night Matchup
Monaca, PA -- Beaver Slips to Wilkes-Barre in Senior Night Matchup
By: Chris Rotondo
The Beaver men's team returned to the court Saturday afternoon, taking on Penn State Wilkes-Barre in a Senior Night matchup. After leading in the first half, Beaver fell behind to Wilkes-Barre, losing 77-60.
Before the game started, the team took time to congratule seniors DJ Austin and Eric Gallupe on their massive accomplishments. Beaver went into the game with confidence, despite facing a packed roster in Wilkes-Barre. Gallupe put the team on the board with a 3-point jump shot, while sophomore Dominique Stevenson pushed the team ahead by making a pair of 3-pointers.
Beaver led by as much as 10 points, but Wilkes-Barre struck back with their defense, ultimately tieing the game at 14 and again at 16. Beaver was able to push ahead, with layups from junior Will Pierce and freshman Andrew Brady. Wilkes-Barre briefly pushed ahead, but Beaver struck back once more. A 3-pointer from Austin put Beaver ahead 35-32 at the half.
The second half showed Beaver struggling to keep up their lead, as Wilkes-Barre came back recharged. After leading for much of the first half, Beaver fell behind Wilkes-Barre, who gained possession of the ball from Beaver several times. Gallupe and Stevenson continued to lead in successful 3-pointers, but those points did not do much to help Beaver narrow their trail. Ultimately, Beaver could not get past Wilkes-Barre's offense, while Wilkes-Barre drove past Beaver almost effortlessly. Beaver went on to lose to Wilkes-Barre 77-60.
The team is now 8-16 in their overall season and 5-10 in their conference matchups. They will conclude their season at home Monday night when they take on Penn State New Kensington.