PITTSBURGH, Pa. – La Roche men's basketball suffocated Penn State Behrend defensively on Wednesday night, leading the Redhawks to their first AMCC win of the season, 56-45.

The Lions opened the contest scoring at 19:19 to take a 2-0 lead, and that lead, the only one of the night for Behrend, lasted all of 24 seconds before La Roche tied the game.

A slugfest ensued throughout the remainder of the night as the first half saw a score of 15-15 at the 7:58 remaining mark.

At 7:39 left, the Redhawks began what would be a 9-1 run to open a 24-16 lead, before taking what would be a 27-20 lead into the locker room.

Out of the break, a 10-2 run for La Roche opened the game's first double-digit lead, as the score sat at 37-22 in favor of the Redhawks at the 12:37 remaining mark.

The La Roche defense continued to cage the Lions, never allowing the deficit to drop below seven points at the remainder of the night, leading to the much needed early AMCC victory.

For the game, La Roche finished the night going 21-for-43 (48.8%) from the floor and 4-for-14 (28.6%) from three. From the foul line, the Redhawks capitalized on just 10 of 17 attempts (58.8%).

On the other side, Behrend finished just 14-for-48 (29.2%) from the field, and 5-for-20 (25%) from deep, while going 12-for-16 (75%) from the foul line.

La Roche had three players in double figures, with Michael Brooks leading the way with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Dominic Elliott followed with 12 points and four rebounds, while Joe Starzynski chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

The Redhawks head on the road, Saturday, Dec. 9 for a matchup against Pitt-Bradford. Opening tip is set for 4 p.m.