ALTOONA, Pa. - Juniata beat LaGrange 76-65 in the championship game of the Penn State-Altoona Coaches vs Cancer Tournament on Saturday. The Panthers are now 1-1 on the young season.
"We played a pretty good first half but did not shoot it well in the second," Coach Kendal Wallace said. "We missed 10 free throws and a couple of open 3-pointers. Last night we rebounded well but tonight there was no effort on the offensive glass.
Alex Bonner led the Panthers with 18 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. Lincoln Anderson came off the bench to score 13 and Travis Thompson added 10.
The Panthers took an early 9-4 lead. The Eagles (2-0) ran off seven straight points to retake the lead. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the half. Elijah Adedoyin's jumper tied the game for the last time at 31. Juniata got the final two baskets of the half to take a 35-31 lead.
LC stayed closed in the second half but could never catch the Eagles. The 76-65 final matched the largest lead of the game for Juniata.
"Juniata is a good team and well coached. We need to stay positive and stay focused. There is no time to put our heads down with Emory coming to Mariotti on Saturday."
The Panthers will host the Lee Richter Classic next Saturday and Sunday. They play Emory on Saturday and Oglethorpe on Sunday. Both games tipoff at 4 p.m.
