BRADFORD, Pa. – La Roche men's basketball will be unable to defend their back-to-back AMCC Tournament Championships, as their season came to an end against top seeded Pitt-Bradford in the semifinals, 87-76.

The first half was tightly contested and shots going in were limited, as the Redhawks held an 11-8 edge in the first seven minutes of action.

At the midway point of the half, La Roche was leading 18-13 and held the lead until the 6:28 mark, when the Panthers tied the contest at 21-21.

The Redhawks would rebuild a five-point lead, 27-22, with 4:35 to go, but when the clock wound down to 1:19, the score was tied 31-31.

La Roche would battle to take the lead into the half, 34-33.

Out of the break, the game was completely different as the offenses were put on display.

The first two minutes saw the Redhawks leading 40-38, but an 8-0 run by Pitt-Bradford followed to give the Panthers its largest lead at 46-40, with 16:15 to go.

With 12:22 remaining, La Roche battled back to within 50-48, but a 12-2 run by the top seed ensued, putting the Redhawks behind, 62-50.

Over the next 5:30, La Roche battled to make it a 64-59 game and despite falling behind 73-63 at the 4:45 mark, were back within six at 73-67 just 55 seconds later.

Unfortunately, a 10-0 run by the Panthers followed and it would be enough to dethrone the two-time defending champions.

For the game, the Redhawks finished 28-for-59 (47.5%) from the floor and 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three. From the foul line, they made 15 of 22 attempts (68.2%).

On the other side, Bradford finished 28-for-67 (41.8%) from the field, 7-for-17 (30%) from deep and 24-for-32 (75%) from the free-throw stripe.

Three Redhawks ended the night in double figures to lead the way.

Joe Starzynski ended his La Roche career with a team-high 17 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Bryce Epps followed with 16 points, five rebounds and five steals, while Michael Brooks hit for 11 points in his Redhawks finale.

Isaiah Thomas also ended his career with 11 rebounds to go alongside seven points.

La Roche ends its 2024-25 season with a 12-15 overall record. Four starters (Starzynski, Brooks, Thomas and Dominic Elliott) end their careers, but a lot of young experience this season keeps the future bright for the 2025-26 season.