The men’s basketball team dominated their opponents over their most recent three game homestand. Behrend defeated Allegheny, D’Youville, and Franciscan over the past week, with each game coming at a deficit of no less than 30 points. The men’s team is currently 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in AMCC Conference play. Their lone loss came in a game against Mount Union, in which Behrend lacked the strong defense that has won them so many games in the past. Regardless, the Lions are off to an admirable start to the regular season, and they show no sign of slowing down.

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On Saturday, November 25, the Lions took on the Allegheny Gators in the Junker Center. The first half of this game was as tight as could be with Behrend taking a five-point lead just before the half. The teams went back and forth, trading baskets and leads throughout the half. Allegheny led by six at one point before Behrend bounced back to take the halftime lead. The Lions took over in the second half, outscoring the Gators by 25 points. Behrend was able to start sinking threes heading into the half and get a significant contribution from their bench in the game. The Lions shot 41.5 percent from deep and just over 43 percent overall. Additionally,  Behrend played airtight defense and held the Gators to 19 points in the second half. Justin Gorny and Dan Wanker were the leading scorers for Behrend, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively, with each man sinking three triples.

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Behrend followed up on that victory with an 86-54 win against the D’Youville Spartans on Wednesday evening. These teams engaged in a competitive and physical battle early on, with neither team being able to take a decisive advantage. Behrend had some rebounding and turnover problems early on, but were able to fix those issues to finish the half strong. Behrend pounded the ball inside for a majority of the half, with Wanker and Gordy again obtaining a majority of the points. Taking a 14 point lead into the second half, Behrend continued what they started, playing suffocating defense inside and forcing D’Youville to take outside jumpers for a majority of the game. Wanker scored a career-high 19 points, with 14 of those coming in the first half. Gordy added 18 and Andy Niland went four of six from the field for 13 points and eight assists.

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The Lions continued their winning streak on Saturday by dominating the Franciscan Barons. Behrend obtained the victory by the score of 77-43, following the same pattern as the previous two games and proving that they are largely a second half team this year. The Lions again took a slim lead into halftime and dominated the second half, outscoring the Barons by 27. Behrend’s nationally ranked defense again led them to victory, allowing only 16 points in the second half and holding Franciscan to 32.7 percent shooting for the game. The Lions were led on offense by Niland, who came an assist away from recording a double-double, as well as Gorny and Wanker, who each had 17 points. Behrend’s bench additionally came in clutch, scoring 25 of the team’s 77 points.

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The Lions look to continue their winning streak on the road as they travel to encounter the Carnegie Mellon Tartans on Wednesday and the Mt. Aloysius Mounties on Saturday.