Penn State Behrend Men's Basketball Season Comes Ends with Loss in NCAA Tournament Second Round
The
Penn State Behrend men's basketball team ended its 2007-2008 season with a
65-56 loss to the #13 ranked Rochester Yellowjackets in the NCAA Tournament
second round on Saturday, March 8.
The Behrend
Lions (24-5) battled the regional host Yellowjackets but fell short of
advancing to the round of 16.
Behrend standout
senior Kevin Buczynski (Erie/Villa Maria) led all scorers with 20 points in
the game and grabbed six rebounds. Adam Potter came through with 13
points, all in the first half, and snagged five rebounds.
Justin Kovac
(Venetia/Peters Township) scored six points to go with six assists.
Rochester (22-5) led 40-32 at the break and stretched the lead to 12 early
in the second half. The Behrend Lions showed that they could play with
the best by twice cutting the lead to four in the second half. Behrend
used eight straight points from Buczynski to cut the lead to 58-54 with just
over three minutes to play but could get no closer, as the Yellowjackets
closed it out and advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16."
Behrend relied all year on solid three-point shooting, but against Rochester
connected on just 7-of-23 from long range. The Yellowjackets also used
their size to muster a 12-rebound advantage (36-24) on the glass.
This was the final game for seniors Buczynski, Gahan (Erie/East), Dan
Ziegler (Johnsonburg/Johnsonburg), Doug Straub (St.
Marys/Elk County Catholic), and Ben
Gasbarre (DuBois/DuBois Central Catholic).
Behrend concludes its most successful season since the 1999-2000 team
reached the NCAA "Elite Eight."