ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona recovered from a 15-point second half deficit to post a 96-93 season-opening victory over the Washington and Lee men's basketball team on Sunday afternoon at Adler Arena.
 
After shooting 44.4 percent (20-45) in the first half and leading by as many as 18 points in the opening 20 minutes, the Generals shots stopped falling in the second stanza.  W&L hit just 13-of-41 (.317) attempts in the second half, but still held a 13-point advantage (79-66) following a three-pointer by sophomore forward Robert DiSibio (Sandy Hook, Conn. / Newtown) with 11 minutes remaining.
 
From there, the Lions (1-0) began chipping away at their deficit, using a 17-4 run over the next 6:57 to pull even (83-83) with 4:03 remaining.
 
The Blue & White (0-1) were back in front, 88-85, with 2:58 remaining following a layup by junior guard Richie Manigault (Stewartsville, N.J. / Phillipsburg), but, PSU Altoona used a personal 7-0 by run junior guard Alex McClellan over the next 58 seconds to assume a 92-88 advantage with 2:00 remaining.
 
The Generals sent the Lions to the line and chipped away at the lead, eventually making it a 94-93 game following a layup by senior guard Mark Lamendola (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mount Lebanon) with eight seconds remaining.  W&L sent first-year forward P.J. Charles to the line with seven seconds remaining and he responded by knocking down both free throws.  Lamendola got a potential game-tying three-pointer off, but his shot from the right elbow fell short as time expired.
 
W&L finished the game shooting 38.4 percent (33-86) from the floor and 26.8 percent (11-41) from beyond the arc.  DiSibio led the way with a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds.  He hit 9-of-17 shots from the floor, including 6-of-9 from three-point range.  Sophomore forward Jack d'Entremont (Bryn Mawr, Pa. / Radnor) also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.  Senior guard Tevin Panchal (Belmont, Calif. / Scared Heart Prep) posted 19 points, while Lamendola finished with 14 points and seven assists.  Senior forward Gus Wise (Winchester, Va. / John Handley) added 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
Penn State Altoona recovered from 39.0 percent (16-41) shooting in the first half to finish at 45.9 percent (34-74) for the game.  Charles paced four players in double figures with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday when it hosts William Peace for a 3:00 pm contest.