AMCC MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME OF THE WEEK: LA ROCHE @ PENN STATE BEHREND

AMCC Men's Basketball Game of the Week:
La Roche University @ Penn State Behrend
Wednesday, January 31 at 7:00pm
Video | Live Stats

The AMCC Men's Basketball Game of the Week features the top two teams in league standings, as the 9-3 La Roche University Redhawks travel to Erie, PA on Wednesday evening to take on 8-3 Penn State Behrend. The La Roche Redhawks currently sit in first place in the AMCC, while Penn State Behrend is hot on their heels in second place. 

La Roche enters Wednesday’s game of the week against Penn State-Behrend in the midst of an eight game winning streak. The Redhawks have won seven of those contests by double figures, including the last six games. Junior G Michael Brooks, the team’s leading scorer, was huge last week offensively, averaging 19.5 points to up his season average to 12.9 per contest. Fellow junior G Joe Starzynski also adds 12.8 per game and freshman Bryce Epps hits for 12.2 per game.

Behrend comes into Wednesday’s contest on a six-game winning streak with an 8-3 record in conference play. The Lions most recently defeated Mount Aloysius, 86-75, on Saturday. Senior G Tommy DiRienzo recorded his second 30-point game of the season, finishing with a game-high 30 points and six rebounds against the Mounties. Sophomore G Matthew McDonough notched 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while senior G Matt Niland scored a season-high 14 points and sophomore G Mason Blankenberg also added 14 points off the bench. DiRienzo leads the AMCC with 20.1 points per game and senior G RJ Marsh pulls down a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the AMCC. As a team, Behrend is first in the conference in field-goal percentage (46.9), three-point percentage (34.5), and free-throw percentage (75.1).

Behrend leads the all-time series 47-37, dating back to the 1977-78 season. The Redhawks have won the last five matchups against the Lions, including the matchup earlier this season on December 6^th (56-45).