Point Park men’s basketball surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time this season on Nov. 16, at the CCAC-Allegheny gym. The Pioneers played against Penn State-New Kensington in a game that ended with Point Park coming out the winner with a score of 108-77.  

Point Park left the court with an overall record of 2-2 and 0-1 in the Mountain East Conference, while Penn State-NK left with an overall record of 0-2. 

Nathanial Van, who is a guard for Point Park, said that the Pioneers ultimately had the upper hand as the better team. 

“Some of our advantages going into the game against Penn State was that we knew we were the more experienced team,” Van said.  

The Pioneers game leaders were Kaden Warner with 33 points and freshman Aiden Miller with 15 rebounds and nine assists.  

The first half started with  Point Park making quick work of Penn State-NK both offensively and defensively. The only time in which the game was tied was early in the first half, with both teams at five points.  

The Pioneers gained a strong lead, climbing to 15 points as the Lions remained at eight points. Point Park continued to gain momentum and made a steady upwards climb. 

The Lions made valiant efforts to catch up to the Pioneers, but due to the early lead Point Park had obtained, the Lions were unable to fully catch up to the Pioneers.  

The first half ended with the score of 57-41. The Pioneers were above the Lions in field goal success percentages with 47.83% against the Lions’ 41.18%.  

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first half. As the Lions made valiant efforts to catch up with consecutive points scored, they were found in a spot where they were unable to catch up to the Pioneers.  

Point Park went into the second half with 16 points in the lead. With this advantage as well as some continued motivation, the Pioneers came out on top with a final score of 108-77. The final score of the game marks the first time Point Park recorded a breach of the 100-point marker this season.  

Miller, a forward for the Pioneers, said that excitement is warranted but the team should still focus on improvement. 

“To carry this momentum into our next two matchups, we need to build on the positives from this game, like our rebounding and shooting,” Miller said. “We’ll focus on improving execution in areas where we struggled, such as converting scoring opportunities and maintaining the game plan on the defensive side.”  

The Pioneers’ and Lions’ field goal success percentage both rose, with their percentages at 53.85% and 50%, respectively.  

Point Park took on Penn State Greater Allegheny at home on Monday, Nov. 18, capturing a 95-62 win. The Pioneers travel to face West Liberty on Saturday, Nov. 23, for their second MEC matchup. 

“Heading to our second MEC matchup, we just want to stick together as a team,” Van said. “Look into our film from past games and control what we can, especially on the defensive end.”

Tipoff for Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. The Pioneers return home on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to face Wheeling at 7:30 p.m.