Early lead not enough for Men’s Basketball at Alfred State

ALFRED, N.Y. --- Carlow University men's basketball returned from the holiday break with an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference contest at Alfred State College Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers defeated the Celtics, 84-71.

Carlow (1-13, 1-4 AMCC) shot 42.9 percent (12 for 28) from beyond the arc, but the Pioneers (3-10, 1-3 AMCC) shot marginally better overall from the field at 45.9 percent (34 for 74). Coupled with outrebounding the Celtics 46-26, Alfred State also outscored Carlow 29-11 off the bench to secure the win.

Tavin Adamson (Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley HS/El Camino College) sank five treys and led Carlow with 15 points, alongside Clayton Cook (Brookville, Pa./Brookville Area HS) who also contributed 15. Jimmy Giannetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saint Joseph HS) added 13 points and five steals, and Aleel Batts (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area HS) scored 11 points in the effort.

The Celtics jumped out to an early lead over the Pioneers, ahead 32-17 after a three-pointer from Gavin Moyer (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York HS) 11 minutes into the half.

Undeterred, Alfred State went on a 20-5 run over the next seven minutes to tie the game at 37-all.

A trey from Batts and a last-second layup by Giannetta gave Carlow a three point lead heading into halftime.

The Pioneers held Carlow scoreless for almost two minutes to start the second half. They gained a marginal lead, but it was short-lived as the Celtics landed back-to-back treys to regain the advantage.

Both teams kept it close throughout the half, with Alfred State staying just out of reach of the Celtics. A two-minute scoring drought where neither team landed a bucket was broken up by the Pioneers with a free throw, now ahead 66-60.

Alfred State outscored Carlow 18-11 in the final 8:48 to hang on for the win.

Darius Cunningham Jr. led the Pioneers with a game-high 27 points with four assists and four steals. Kennyh Hardeman added a double-double 17 points and 15 rebounds, and two other players added double-digit points in the win.

The Celtics host Pitt Greensburg for a 4 p.m. AMCC game at Donahue Pavilion Saturday.