ERIE, Pa. — La Roche University men's basketball traveled to face one of the toughest opponents in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference on Wednesday night, battling the Penn State Behrend Lions in what became a physical and fast-paced game at the Junker Center. Though the Redhawks fought with energy and effort on both ends of the court, Behrend's depth and offensive execution ultimately proved too strong in a 71-45 loss.

Right from the opening tip, La Roche showed a willingness to mix it up inside and crash the boards, battling to stay in striking distance. The Redhawks worked to needle the Lions with ball-movement and mid-range looks, while crashing the glass on the defensive end to try to limit second-chance points.

Behrend, however, answered with sustained pressure and a balanced scoring attack — pulling ahead in the first half and forcing the Redhawks to play catch-up the rest of the way. Despite La Roche's defensive effort, turnovers and quick transition buckets by Behrend pushed the Lions' advantage further after halftime.

Even in the face of adversity, the Redhawks kept competing — making hustle plays, diving for loose balls, and looking to spark momentum bursts — but could not overcome the Lions' size and consistency on offense.

With the defeat, La Roche will wait until Saturday to find out whether it will be the #2 or #3 seed in the AMCC Tournament. If #2, the Redhawks move directly into the semifinals, but if #3, they will host #6 on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.