Basketball Game Preview: State College Little Lions vs. Altoona Mountain Lions

State College is 9-1 against Altoona since March of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The State College Little Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Altoona Mountain Lions at 6:30 p.m. State College is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.9 points per game this season.

Last Friday, State College was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 59-54 to Central Dauphin. While losing is never fun, the Little Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while the Rams are ranked sixth).

Loss or not, State College got some senior leadership from Reed Melvin and Charlie Yartz. Melvin posted 15 points along with seven assists and six boards, while Yartz went 8 of 15 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds. That's the most rebounds Melvin has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty Salazer, who had seven points and five assists.

Meanwhile, Altoona was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were six points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 55-49 heartbreaker at the hands of Harrisburg.

State College has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season. As for Altoona, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.

State College took their victory against Altoona in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 63-41. The rematch might be a little tougher for State College since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.