BRADFORD, PA—In his first collegiate game, Esafe Taufahema went 12-for-14 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line, totaling 30 points in only 20 minutes of play.  That outstanding performance, though, would not be enough, as the Houghton Highlanders dropped their season opener to the Pitt-Bradford Panthers, 85-94.
 
The Panthers were led by an outstanding performance of their own, as Nathan Schneider poured in 41 points and grabbed 23 rebounds.
 
Houghton led by as many as 11 points in the first half, including a 10 point lead with only five minutes to go before the break.  But the Panthers slowly chipped away at the deficit, and Schneider sank a pair of free throws to trip the Houghton lead to only three points at the midway mark.
 
The Highlanders rebuilt their lead to as many as nine points early in the second half, but again the Panthers rallied, taking the lead for good with just over 13 minutes to play. 
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 92 | Pitt-Bradford – 78
Records: Houghton: 1-0 | Pitt-Bradford: 0-1
Venue: KOA Arena, University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | Attendance: 350

NOTABLE STATS
>> David Rosa posted 17 points and four steals, while Jajuan Preaster added 16 points and four assists.
 
>> Koen Rolleman pulled in a career-high 13 rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Not the finish we wanted, but I thought we displayed our LIFE culture throughout. We especially fought through a lot of adversity with foul trouble, David Rosa's injury, and a poor shooting night.
 
"I think our mistakes and shortcomings are fixable and our freshmen got some good minutes in a close game. That's valuable for what we're building.
 
"Esafe [Taufahema]'s 30 points in 20 minutes in his first college game? It's hard to quantify how good that is. He had a great pre-season, so I'm excited that he got to eat some of the fruit from what he planted. It's just the beginning too. He's only going to get better." – Head Coach Jeremy Bialek
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel to the University of Scranton this weekend, where they will open tournament play on Friday against the host Royals on Friday night at 5:30 p.m.