Men’s Basketball picks up first win of the season over Penn State Berks at Mustang Classic

OWINGS MILLS, Md. --- Carlow University men's basketball won its first game of the season, an 88-82 victory over Penn State Berks to conclude the Stevenson University Mustang Classic Saturday.

Junior guard Byron Gaskins (Woodbridge, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) was named to the All-Tournament team after going 11 for 11 from the foul line and leading the Celtics with 31 points in the two-day event.

Gaskins led Carlow (1-3) against the Lions (0-4) with 20 points off the bench that included four treys. He dished out two assists and picked up three steals. Nehemiah Brazil (Pittsburgh, Pa./Nazareth Prep HS) went 6 for 8 from the foul line to add 16 points and four assists off the bench, while Riley Comforti (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland HS) added a double-double 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.

The Celtics shot 84.4 percent and scored 27 points alone at the foul line on the day.

Carlow jumped out to a 7-0 advantage in the first half, but Berks tied the game at 13-all eight minutes in. The Lions gained the lead on a three-pointer, extending their advantage to seven points later in the half.

Gavin Moyer (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York HS) hit a trey to cut the Lions' lead to one point with three minutes remaining in the half, and a jumper from Comforti tied the game at 32-all with 2:24 left on the clock.

The teams exchanged free throws and marginal leads until Jimmy Giannetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saint Joseph HS) sank a three-pointer with 13 seconds on the board to send Carlow into halftime with a 38-35 lead.

The Celtics went on an 8-1 run to start the second half to go ahead by 10 points. Carlow maintained a lead throughout the entire second half. Although Berks came within one point of tying the game early on, the Celtics pushed their advantage to 14 points midway through the half and never looked back.

Carlow outrebounded the Lions 31-27 and scored 26 points off 19 Berks turnovers. The Celtics outscored the Lions 45-19 off the bench and 36-32 in the paint.

Andre Ballard led the Lions with a game-high 27 points, and three other Penn State Berks players recorded double figures in the effort.

Carlow travels to Boston, Mass. for two games next weekend.