HOUGHTON, NY— After rallying from a 19-point second-half deficit to take a three-point lead with only three minutes left in the game, the Houghton Highlanders fell to the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Panthers on opening night, 68-64.
 
Despite maintaining a 21-13 advantage in turnovers, the Highlanders shot only 39 percent from the floor, including a 4-for-25 performance (16 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
At the half, the Panthers led, 41-26, then expanded their lead to 19 points just over five minutes into the second half.
 
But Houghton slowly chipped away at the gap, until with just over five minutes left in the game, Luke Cole faked a handoff at the top of the key and nailed a turnaround jumper to pull the Highlanders within a point. 
 
On the ensuing inbounds play, David Rosa, stole the ball and sank a quick layup to give Houghton their first lead of the game.  Moments later, with only two minutes left on the clock, a layup by Preston Thomas put the Highlanders up by three, 64-61. 
 
But a layup and a three-point play by Bradford's Jamarion Butler, and a pair of clutch free throws by Jesse Laster in the closing seconds, sealed the win for the Panthers.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 64 | Pitt-Bradford – 68
Records: Houghton: 0-1 | Pitt-Bradford: 1-0
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton University | Attendance: 253

NOTABLE STATS
>> After scoring only two points in the first half, Jajuan Preaster finished with a team high 16 points, while adding nine rebounds and three steals.
 
>> Preston Thomas chipped in 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Trey Flatt and David Rosa added 10 points apiece.
 
>> Butler and Laster scored game-highs of 20 and 17 points, respectively, to lead the Panthers.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Tonight's a disappointing start, but only because we carried a lot of issues from our pre-season scrimmages into this first half. That said, our team fought back from almost 20 down and took the lead.

"I give a lot of credit to Pitt-Bradford for finding a way to win after giving up that lead. They took it back from us, but we showed a lot of defensive grit in that second half. We just need consistency."
 
On JaJuan Preaster: "JaJuan has been our top guy in practice and leads us well. His spark brought us back in a lot of ways. He's a smart player, he communicates with his teammates, and he makes big plays. Because our guys will listen to him and follow him, I believe we will be better against Wells on Friday." - Head Coach Jeremy Bialek

UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center on Friday to take on the Wells Express at 7:00 p.m.  Houghton and Wells are 4-4 against each other all time, but the Express are riding a four-game winning streak against the Highlanders, including a victory in last season's meeting, 84-71.