The Behrend Beacon
Lions overpower Lake Erie to
break four-game losing streak
by Mike Bello
sports editor
After what seemed like an
improbable turnaround in early
December for the women's basketball
team— it ran together a three game
winning streak to get back to .500
the Lions have dropped four of their
past five games heading into the main
core of their conference season. Five
of their seven games in January are
against AMCC teams.
Behrend hosted Lake Erie on
Wednesday in a game the Lions
absolutely dominated from start to
finish in winning 86-54. The win
improved Behrend's record to 5-8
overall, 2-1 in the AMCC. The Lions
went into the locker room with a 44-
25 lead in front of 156 fans, and then
played most of their bench in the
second half.
Erin Phillips went 8-of-14 from the
floor for 20 points, which allowed her
to pass the 1,300-point plateau.
Phillips now has 1,313 points and is
chasing the women's all-time record
of 1,409. With 12 games left, Phillips
just has to average eight points per
game, a far cry from her 15.8 PPG
average. Rick Demski (1987-91) owns
the all-time points scored record with
1,466, and Phillips only has to average
12.75 PPG to break Demski's record.
Seniors Kate Costanzo and Christine
Charnock both had solid games for
Behrend, scoring 15 and 14 points,
respectively. Sophomore Crystal
McGarvey grabbed a game-high eight
rebounds, while freshman Bambi
Lewis dished out four assists on the
night. Sophomore Erica Mozdy added
nine points and four steals.
The Lions returned from a 17-day
layoff last Saturday when they traveled
east to play Buffalo State University.
Just like Buffalo residents had to dig
out from the several feet of snow,
Behrend had to dig out from an early
43-27 deficit. The Bengals, though,
were just too much for Behrend to
overcome any sort of early troubles,
as Buffalo State cruised to a 78-53 win.
The Lions, plagued by shooting
woes and turnovers the whole day, hit
only 31 percent of their shots and
handed the ball over 38 times,
including 26 steals by the Bengals.
Phillips was 6-of-12 from the floor for
15 points, while Costanzo added 10
points. Phillips also grabbed a team
high nine rebounds, but Buffalo State's
early first-half shooting (48.6 percent)
ended up being the difference.
The team celebrated the end of the
fall semester by touring the sights and
sounds of bustling Las Vegas a week
before Christmas. The players, who
played two games at UNLV's home
court while in Nevada, got to visit the
Hoover Dam, ride to the top of Vegas'
version of the Eiffel Tower, and even
catch of show of "Lord of the Dance",
among other stops.
"The highlight of the trip was seeing
all of the sights of Las Vegas," said
Charnock. "Every hotel on the strip
had something unique and different
about it."
On Dec. 18 - the Lions' first game
since a 78-54 loss to Penn State
Altoona on Dec. 8 at the Junker Center
- Behrend played its first game against
Cal Lutheran. The game proved to be
a nail-biter to the end.
The Lions rallied from a 35-29
halftime deficit, but Behrend proved
too selective with its shots as the team
lost 61-60. The Lions had one of their
best games offensively, hitting 55.6
percent of their shots, as well as two
thirds of their foul shots (20 of 30).
Cal Lutheran, on the other hand, hit
only 39 percent of its floor shots and
57 percent of its foul shots, but took
30 more field goal attempts than
Behrend.
Phillips led all scorers with 23 points
and contributed 10 rebounds, while
Costanzo added nine points and a
game-high 11 rebounds. Charnock
Mozdy both contributed 10 points to
the losing effort. Behrend was again
plagued by a turnover disparity, 34 to
Cal Lutheran's 16.
An open Allison Skiff calls for the ball from freshman teammate
Bambi Lewis during the Lions' 86-54 win against Lake Erie on
Wednesday.
The next day the Lions played
Delaware Valley, but the Lion defense
was not on the prowl like the day
before, giving up the most points all
season in an 83-66 loss. The team fared
well when it had the ball, shooting just
over 40 percent, but Delaware
scorched the Lions for a field goal
percentage of 52.5. Phillips, for the
second day in a row, sank 23 points
and had 10 rebounds, while Mozdy
added 11 points and four assists.
The Lions know that even just the
two games played in Vegas can be a
valuable resource for upcoming games
against more familiar opponents.
"We faced some strong competition
in Las Vegas; it was a good learning
experience as a team," said Costanzo.
"Our challenging non-conference
games will definitely help us out in the
AMCC."
The Lions host Frostburg (1-0, 3-8)
on Saturday at 2 p.m. before playing
two non-conference opponents early
next week at home Washington &
Jefferson (5-5) on Monday (7 p.m.)
and Fredonia (5-4) on Thursday (7
p.m.). Once the Lions get those games
out of the way, eight of their last nine
games will be against the AMCC,
which means they will have to work
extra hard to improve upon their
current 1-1 conference record.
"The AMCC will be an interesting
battle, anybody can beat anybody on
any night," said Costanzo.
Charnock echoed the same idea
"Our conference is tougher this year
than in the past," she said, "hut as a
team we are up for the challenge."
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON
Friday, January 11, 2002
r _
7
f
, e
•.a lf a r
0
senior athleticpr
...................................
;Matt Keith: Overcoming
to take advanta
I by Kate Levdansky Petrikis
assistant sports editor
Senior basketball player Matt
Keith admires many athletes, but
there's one in particular he'd liked
to play a little one-on-one with, no
matter what the outcome would
surely be.
"If ever given the opportunity, I
would want to play one-on-one with
Michael Jordan. He is the best
basketball player to ever play the
game," said Keith. "Not to mention,
he is one of the best role models for
our generation. I think his
comeback was great for the sport,
because it increased the attention of
fans. I compare his comeback to
basketball, to what Mark McGwire
and Sammy Sosa did for baseball
when they had their incredible home
run race.
"I admire Jordan the most
because he knew that coming back
could tarnish his image, given the
way his career ended. But, he does
not care about his image. He loves
the game of basketball, and that is
all that matters to him - playing."
Keith started playing basketball
when he was 7 years old. His older
brother Ryan taught him how to
play. Tragically, Ryan was killed by
a drunk driver at the age of 16. At
the time, Matt was only 13. He
reflected on his brother's death.
"There is not a family that is as
close as my family. We have been
through a lot together. Something
like that can either tear a family
apart or make them stronger; we
chose to get stronger. My biggest
influence in life is my family. I am
very close with my sister. She is a
beautiful person, and I love her
children as if they were my own."
For Keith. playing basketball
helped him cope with his brother's
sudden death.
"Basketball has always been a
way to get away from problems in
life, which is why I love it." Keith
said.
Keith has been the starting point
guard for Behrend the past three
years, and the captain of the team
for the past two. During his
sophomore year, the Lions made it
all the way to the Elite Eight in the
NCAA Division 111 tournament.
"Which means, there [were] only
eight teams in the country that
[were] still playing and we were one
of the eight," said Keith.
Keith made 17 3-pointers in just
four games during that tournament.
He also set a school record with 92
3-pointers in the 1999-2000 season,
and was ranked in the top 10 in the
nation for 3-pointers made that year.
He is currently fourth in school
history for 3-pointers made in a
career. So far, he has been a part of
67 wins to only 30 losses in his
L .•••••• PloPtssfifir MEP mn.r.
, , •
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON
C.Wolf on the prowl? Sure, he may be entertaining these couch potatoes at the Junker Center during
the basketball doubleheader on Wednesday, but what Mr. Mascot doesn't realize is that a Lion was
spotted inside the building looking for some fresh prey. Good luck, C.Wolf!
e o
PHOTO BY MIKE BELLO / BEHREND BEACON
Matt Keith hopes to one day go one-on-one with Michael Jordan,
although how many points Keith will be spotted is still up in the air.
basketball career at Behrend
Basketball practices range from 4
p.m. to 9 p.m. and last up to 2 1/2
hours. The team also lifts for 35
minutes, three times a week.
The Lions are 8-5, and Keith - the
only senior - leads the way.
"It started out with about 10
freshmen in my class and through
the past four years, I'm the only one
left," said Keith. "The rest of the
guys on the team are sophomores
and freshmen, so I get a lot of the
old man jokes. I think our team is
going to have an unbelievable finish
to the season, because we are just
starting to gel as a team."
Keith has learned many things
from his coaches at Behrend. The
most important is how to manage
time.
"I've matured a lot as a person in
my four years playing for Coach
Niland," said Keith.
During the season, Keith does not
hold a job because he said it is
almost impossible to balance
basketball, classes, and work all at
once. However, during the summers,
he referees for various basketball
camps and leagues. He has also
~~_":
behrcolls@aol.com
colle
worked as a coach for Behrend
basketball camps, as well as Gannon
University basketball camps.
"I teach the kids at the camps the
same things that I have learned from
my coaches; how to play the game
and most importantly to be a good
person," said Keith.
Keith graduated high school from
North East, just down the road from
the Behrend campus. At Behrend,
his major is marketing, where he
holds a 3.0 cumulative GPA. He
plans on working in pharmaceutical
sales when he graduates, and has
already been in contact with Sankyo
Pharma, a company based in
Pittsburgh.
"In five years I hope to be doing
something that makes me happy, and
hopefully starting to find someone
special to share everything with,"
said Keith. "My dream in life is
popular... I want to make a lot of
money and spend it on the people
that are important to me."
Keith has one bit of advice to give
before he graduates.
"Enjoy these times, because they
are over faster than you can
imagine."
:?~i>::.
IMMIE
ME=
ofile
tragedy
ears
ti
• " "; ~. '..
> 4 =
. , .
. ,
. .„. .
. • 3 : 11 1
. •
tae
•
• 7‘.42;.;.:,