Altoona, PA- The Mount Aloysius Men's Basketball team started off its AMCC schedule with a win as they defeated rival Penn State Altoona on the road by a score of 79-67.

The Mounties were able to jump ahead early, starting the game on a 6-0 run. Imrane Amadou (Cotonou, Benin/Harcum Junior College) and Tommy Pisula (Scottdale, PA/Southmoreland) were able pull in offensive rebounds early and finish the putbacks to get the Mounties ahead. Freshman Carlos Palacio (Bilbao, Spain/Phelps School) took over from there. He did damage both inside and out, scoring 17 points in the half coming on 3 three pointers and 4 tough shots in the lane. Palacio scored 17 of the Mounties final 26 points of the half as they were able to take a four point lead into halftime.

The second half started off as a back and forth affair with the two teams trading leads for the first 10 minutes of the half. Palacio was sent to the bench with foul trouble, but the Mounties were able to use dribble drive penetration to draw fouls on the Lions and get to the free throw stripe. The Mounties attempted 39 free throws in the half, and made 31 of them. This accounted for almost 65% of their offense to close the game. In addition to converting on their free throw opportunities, the Mounties used timely baskets from Amadou and their stifling defense to go on a 24-6 run which turned a 1 point deficit into a 17 point lead over a 7 minute stretch. 

Julian Stover (Washington, DC/Richard Montgomery) led the way with 23 points. While only making two shots from the field, Stover hit 19 of 23 free throws in the game. Palacio finished with 20, shooting 8-15 from the field and 4-10 from beyond the arc. Amadou and Trent McErlane (Greenville, PA/Greenville) also scored double digit points with 16 and 10 respectively. Pisula played 38 of the 40 minutes for the Mounties and hauled in 9 boards including 5 on the offensive end.

The Mounties (3-3,1-0) will take on Medaille College in more AMCC action on Saturday. The game will be at 4:00 PM in the ACWC.