A heartbreaker for Men’s Basketball against Pitt Bradford

PITTSBURGH --- Carlow University men's basketball narrowly lost an 85-83 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference contest to Pitt Bradford at Donahue Pavilion Saturday afternoon.

Jordyn Tavarez (New Kensington, Pa./Highlands HS/Penn West Calif.) sank a last-second layup and was fouled on the shot. With 0.8 seconds left on the clock, the Celtics called a timeout. Tavarez purposefully missed the free throw to give Carlow (1-16, 1-7 AMCC) a shot at tying the game, and although Tavin Adamson (Loveland, Colo./Thompson Valley HS/El Camino College) made a heroic effort to tip in the missed attempt, the ball bounced off the rim and out of the basket as time expired.

Carlow shot 76.9 percent and scored 30 of its points from the foul line alone. The Celtics hustled after every loose ball and every player contributed in some way.

Jimmy Giannetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saint Joseph HS) shot 10 for 13 from the foul line and led the Celtics with a game-high 24 points. Tomasi Pavihi (Wellington, New Zealand/St. Mary's Ryken HS/College of Marin) added 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench, and Tavarez contributed 10 points, three assists and two steals off the bench.

Carlow started strong, with both teams tying the score and trading marginal leads early in the first half. An 18-6 run for the Panthers (9-6, 4-2 AMCC) over the span of seven minutes gave Pitt Bradford its largest lead of the game at 24-12.

The Celtics battled back to trail by two, and two free throws from Pavihi tied the score at 26-all with five minutes remaining in the first half. Carlow increased its lead to seven, but the Panthers followed along and trailed the Celtics by three at halftime.

The Celtics went on a 10-2 run to start the second half, gaining their largest advantage of the game, 50-39. Carlow held onto its tenuous lead until midway through the half when Pitt Bradford sank a three-pointer to regain the lead at 59-57.

For every point the Panthers gained, the Celtics tied the score three more times over the next several plays. Carlow erased a six-point deficit with under a minute remaining in regulation but ended the game in heartbreak.

The Celtics scored 17 points off 18 Pitt Bradford turnovers and outscored the Panthers 24-9 in fast break points. The Panthers outrebounded Carlow, 46-35.

Jeremy Rodriguez led Pitt Bradford with 21 points and Niare Poplar added a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Clarence Cobbins contributed 15 points in the win.

The Celtics travel to Penn State Behrend for a 4 p.m. AMCC game Jan. 24.