ERIE, Pa. – La Roche men's basketball began its path to a third consecutive AMCC Tournament Championship on Tuesday and as the #5 seed, knocked off #4 Penn State Behrend, 63-59 on the road.

The victory marked the 10th straight win for the Redhawks over the Lions and gave La Roche a clean, 3-0 sweep over Behrend in 2024-25.

It took over two minutes before the first basket of the game was scored and by the midway point of the first half, it was the Lions holding a slight 16-14 edge.

Still down, 19-17, with 8:11 to go, the Redhawks used a 7-0 run to build its largest lead at 24-19 with 6:45 remaining.

Just 1:52 later, Behrend evened the score at 25-25, but again, the red and white pulled through with a 6-0 run and led 31-25 with 55 seconds on the clock.

The Lions would hit for five points down that final stretch, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, as La Roche took a 33-31 lead into the half.

Out of the break, Behrend used the first 7:03 to limit the Redhawks to just four points and took a 40-37 lead.

Over the next 4:18, the red and white pushed back ahead, using a 10-2 run, regaining a five-point, 47-42 lead.

Fast forward to 3:55 remaining in regulation, La Roche opened up a 56-47 lead and from that point on, didn't allow Behrend to come any closer than four points to seal the victory.

For the game, the Redhawks finished 25-for-50 (50%) from the floor and 5-for-12 (41.7%) from three. From the foul line, they made 8 of 12 attempts (66.7%).

On the other side, the Lions finished 22-for-61 (36.1%) from the field, 6-for-20 (30%) from deep and 9-for-133 (69.2%) from the free-throw stripe.

Four players scored in double figures for La Roche and Isaiah Thomas shined in the victory.

Thomas scored a game-high 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from deep, while also adding five rebounds.

Bryce Epps followed with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Michael Brooks hit for 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Joe Starzynski contributed 10 points and three rebounds to the cause.

The Redhawks move into the semifinals and set up a date with top seeded Pitt-Bradford. Opening tip from Bradford, Pa. is set for 6 p.m.