Behrend Beats Baldwin-Wallace 73-68 to Win Tip-Off Tournament
The
Behrend men's basketball team closed out their annual tip-off tournament
with a tight 73-68 victory over Baldwin-Wallace on Sunday, November 18 in the Junker Center.
Behrend came out on fire in the first half, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from
long range and hitting 48% from the floor. Dan Ziegler
(Johnsonburg/Johnsonburg) came off the
bench to score eight first half points as the blue and white built a 35-29
halftime lead.
Baldwin-Wallace, ranked # 20 in the nation according to D3Hoops.com
preseason poll, would not go away quietly, and the
Yellow Jackets would come back with their own sharp shooting after the
break. B-W connected on nearly 54% from the floor in the second half.
Behind inspired play from senior Brendan Schuler, the Yellow Jackets went on
a 22-6 run to open the second half and build a 51-41 lead of their own.
Behrend rallied behind tournament MVP
Kevin Buczynski (Erie/Villa Maria),
who had a dominant game for the blue and white. Buczynski worked for 15
points on six-of-eight shooting, while hauling down a game-high nine boards.
He also passed out five assists from the post and had five blocks to propel
Behrend to the five-point win. Sophomore Adam Potter (Pittsburgh/Mt.
Lebanon) added another double-digit scoring game with 13 points, including
three makes from long distance. Ziegler added 15 points and five boards.
Named to the All-Tournament team along with Buczynski and Potter were
Brad Cooper (Fredonia), Michael Oblitey (Bridgewater), Brendan Schuler
(Baldwin-Wallace), and
Kyle Brown (Baldwin-Wallace). In the loss, Schuler put up 19
points, while Brown added a game-high 21.
The men will rest up this week and will hit the court again Saturday,
November 24. Behrend will travel to Westminster college to take
on the Titans at 4:00 p.m. Behrend will then open up
conference play on Wednesday, November 28 when they will take on the
Mt. Aloysius Mounties. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m.