Men’s Basketball secures AMCC win over Alfred State

ALFRED, N.Y. --- Carlow University men's basketball snapped a five-game losing streak with an 83-76 win over Alfred State College in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Celtics (3-11, 2-4 AMCC) shot a season-high 57.1 percent (32 for 56) from the field in the victory over the Pioneers (2-14, 1-6 AMCC).

Riley Comforti (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland HS) led Carlow with a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to record his second double-double of the year. Adnan Sbai (Camp Hill, Pa./East Pennsboro Area HS/Seton Hill University) tallied a season-high 20 points, and Byron Gaskins (Woodbridge, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) shot 8 for 10 from the foul line to add 18 points. Devin Lewis (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier HS/Pitt Bradford) contributed 11 points and six assists off the bench.

Both teams tied the score and traded leads throughout the entire first half, with a last-second layup by Comforti affording the Celtics a two-point advantage at halftime.

A trey from Lewis six minutes into the second half extended Carlow's lead to nine, but the Pioneers strung together a 9-2 run to trail, 61-60. Sbai and Jimmy Giannetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saint Joseph HS) gave the Celtics a seven-point cushion after landing back-to-back three-pointers midway through the half.

Alfred State kept it close, eventually tying the game at 74-all with 3:43 on the clock. Carlow settled in and outscored the Pioneers 9-2 to close out regulation and earn the win.

Carlow outrebounded Alfred State 32-24 and scored 20 points off 13 Pioneers turnovers. The Celtics outscored Alfred State 46-38 in the paint.

Michael Miller led the Pioneers with 21 points, and two other Alfred State players scored in double figures.

The Celtics travel to Penn State Behrend for a 1 p.m. AMCC game Jan. 20.