By: by Matt Palisin, Asst. SID
BOXSCORE BOX SCORE
ERIE, PA. --The Fredonia State men's basketball team picked up a season-opening victory over I-90 rival Penn State Behrend, 61-50.
The Devils (1-0) stumbled out of the gate, as the Lions took an 8-0 lead. Fredonia State would tie the game at 11-all following a three-pointer by
Amir Billups at the 11:44 mark. Their first lead, 19-18, came following a pair of free throws by
Julius Bryant with 8:47 left in the first half.
From there, the Devils would not relinquish the lead. They led 32-26 at halftime.
The Devils, known for their defense, held the LIons to just 30 percent (17-55) shooting from the field for the game. The Devils shot 44 percent (19-43), including 50 percent (10-20) in the first half. Behrend shot a paltry 6-25 (24 percent) from three point range. The Devils connected on 12 of 29 (42 percent) long-range attempts.
Damien Goodwin II led the Devils with 15 points off the bench, including four three-pointers.
Kevin Mitchell and Bryant added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Billups had 9 points.
Jonathan Herrera,
Dalton Kashmer and
Leonard Smith topped the team with 5 rebounds. Herrera added 5 assists. All the aforementioned players are seniors.
Behrend was led by Dan Simpson with 9 points.
It was a key victory for the senior-laden Devils. Penn State Behrend (0-1) represented the AMCC in the NCAA Tournament last year, and it is the first of three consecutive road games against NCAA Tournament participants from last year.
The Devils travel to Oswego this weekend to participate in the Max Ziel Tip-off Tournament. They take on Wells College on Friday, and Ithaca on Saturday.
