ALTOONA, Pa. – La Roche men's basketball completed a three-game road trip Saturday against Penn State Altoona, unfortunately dropping its second straight, 70-59.

It took nearly four minutes for the first basket to go in, scored by Bryce Epps to put the Redhawks ahead.

The defenses continued to clamp each other, as the score sat at just 10-8 in favor of the Lions at the midway point of the first half.

The limited scoring continued and with 4:18 remaining, Altoona had lifted the lead to 21-16.

Both teams traded runs down the stretch, including a 5-0 La Roche run to tie the game at 21-21, followed by a 4-0 Lions run to go back ahead and concluded with a 5-0 red and black run to take a 26-25 lead into the half.

Out of the break, the Redhawks continued to hold the lead over the first 5:35, until the Lions regained the lead at 14:25, 34-33.

With 11:06 remaining, La Roche had the score tied at 37-37, but what followed was 12-2 run by Altoona, taking a 49-39 edge with 6:54 to play.

From that point on, the red and black were unable to trim the deficit to any closer than six points, as the hosts sealed the victory.

For the game, the Redhawks finished 23-for-60 (38.3%) from the floor and 5-for-19 (26.3%) from three. From the foul line, they made eight of 12 attempts (66.7%).

On the other side, Penn State Altoona finished 25-for-52 (48.1%) from the field, 3-for-12 (25%) from deep and 17-for-21 (81%) from the free-throw stripe.

The Redhawks had two players in double figures, led by Bryce Epps with his team-high 16 points, while also adding in four rebounds and four assists.

Joe Starzynski followed with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

La Roche returns home to begin a three-game home stand, beginning with Brockport on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Opening tip is set for 6 p.m.