“It was awesome coming back,” said Pope after the game, who had his family in attendance. “It was nice being back in New York and playing in my old stomping grounds.”

Pope finished with nine points, six rebounds and a steal, with a plus-minus of plus-20 in the victory. He started the game and played a team-high of just over 35 minutes. Pope has led the Lions in scoring in three games this season, including 25 points in the Lions’ first game of the season.

The first half of the game was back and forth from the start. Fredonia’s Dydy Bryan drilled a 3-pointer on the game’s first possession for an early lead, but Penn State Behrend (5-3) responded with the next 10 points over the next 3:10. Pope capped off the 10-point run with an and-one layup for his first three points of the game. Pope finished the first half with seven points, on two layups and three free throws.

“We saw him as a really good one-on-one player. He’s very tough and he has a great 3-point shot … We liked him coming out of high school,” said Fredonia State coach Philip Seymore, who witnessed Pope’s 52-point performance against Panama while at Chautauqua Lake. “I’m happy for him, glad he’s doing well. He’s a good young man.”

Devin Pope defends during Wednesday’s men’s college basketball game against Fredonia State at Dods Hall on the SUNY Fredonia campus. OBSERVER Photo by Ron Szot.

At the end of the first half, the Lions held a 35-34 lead. However, the lead only grew from there. Penn State Behrend began the second half on an 11-2 run over the first four minutes to take a 46-36 lead. The Blue Devils (3-4) cut the deficit to one point twice after that, but were unable to draw even. However, after the score reached 55-54, the Lions went on a 9-0 run to extend the lead again.

“We have to be way more efficient and way more consistent,” said Seymore. “We had too many breakdowns, and (Penn State Behrend) stayed efficient. They didn’t have the same type of breakdowns. … We need to play more consistent against good teams.”

With just over 6:00 left, the Lions got the lead back to double digits, 64-54. Pope’s first two points of the second half came after that point, the Lions’ 65th and 66th points of the game. With 4:20 remaining, Penn State Behrend led 66-56, then with the Lions scoring the next three points, the lead reached 13 points with 3:30 remaining. The Lions extended the lead to 17 points at its largest point, in the final two minutes.

As the game’s final moments wound down, another local high school star had his first taste of collegiate basketball. With 1:04 remaining after the first of two Penn State Behrend free throws, Silver Creek alum Braeden Woleben checked into the game for Fredonia State. The Blue Devils freshman had not seen the court in the team’s first six games, but ran the floor and grabbed an offensive rebound and attempted a put-back layup on his first possession, but it just rolled off the rim.

“He’s a good athlete, he’s a good rebounder. He just has to learn the college game,” said Seymore of Woleben. “He’s working really hard, he doesn’t complain. … His chance will come.”

Devin Pope (14) looks to pass during Wednesday’s men’s college basketball game against Fredonia State at Dods Hall on the SUNY Fredonia campus. OBSERVER Photo by Ron Szot.

Woleben is in a similar position now as Pope was a year ago. Pope did not see the court much his first year, but has earned a starting spot in the Lions’ backcourt this season because of his growth and adaptation to the college game, specifically on the defensive end.

“When you get to college, it’s not all about just scoring. You have to play defense if you want to be on the floor,” said Pope. “I had to change my game completely, and I loved it. Being able to play defense now is awesome. … Ask anyone on my team, coming in last year, I couldn’t guard a soul. Since then, I’ve been learning the college game, becoming quicker and picking up the pace.”

“If you want to play college basketball, you can. You just need to put the time and effort in. It’s a hard thing to do, but as long as you put that time and effort in and you love the game, you can do it,” he added.

Fredonia State now goes into a month-long hiatus for winter break with a record of 3-4. Penn State Behrend improved its record to 5-3 after the win, which was the 500th win for head coach Dave Niland. Penn State Behrend plays Mt. Aloysius on Saturday.

“It was a great team win. That being our coach’s 500th win, tonight was big for us,” said Pope. “It was definitely nice to get a win back home.”