The Penn State Shenango Men's Basketball team gutted out a hard-fought 85–82 win over Carlow on Tuesday night at the Buhl Club, riding a huge performance from Izzy Santiago and a series of clutch plays in the final minutes to secure their second straight home victory.

Santiago once again led the way, finishing with 30 points on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting night, including 3-for-6 from three and 7-for-8 at the line. He added six rebounds and six assists, constantly creating offense for both himself and his teammates as Shenango battled through Carlow's hot shooting and relentless pace.

Early on, it was Carlow that came out swinging. The Celtics built a 22–12 lead behind strong inside play and timely threes from Jordyn Tavarez and Tomasi Pavihi. Shenango answered with energy off the bench—Jordan Dotson, Rhys Grocott, and Langston Boyd helped flip the momentum, while Santiago went to work attacking the rim and stretching the floor. A three from Darius Williams, a layup and-one sequence from Boyd, and a string of buckets from Santiago fueled a surge that turned a double-digit deficit into a lead. Santiago's jumper and three from the right wing, followed by Williams dialing it up from deep, helped Shenango close the half on a 29–15 run to take a 41–37 advantage into the break.

Carlow came out of the locker room firing, quickly reclaiming the lead at 50–46 behind more scoring from Tavarez and a corner three from Aleel Batts. Shenango didn't flinch. Williams buried another three to halt the run, then converted at the line to pull the Lions back within one. From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle, with neither side willing to give an inch. Williams was massive in the second half, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists while knocking down 4-of-5 from three. Whenever Shenango needed a response, he was there—whether it was a deep three, a defensive rebound in traffic, or a perfectly timed pass to a cutting teammate.

Grocott and Dotson were pivotal in the paint. Grocott posted 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, altering shots and finishing around the rim. Dotson matched him with 10 points, attacking gaps in the defense and converting key mid-range jumpers and drives when Shenango's offense needed a lift. Devin Alston chipped in six points and five rebounds, hitting back-to-back jumpers in the mid-second half to help extend the lead to 73–67. Boyd added five points, including a first-half three-point play and a big jumper down the stretch, plus two steals that helped fuel transition opportunities.

Santiago's composure at the line and late-game scoring proved critical. With Shenango clinging to a slim advantage, he calmly knocked down free throws to push the lead to 69–64 and later drove for a crucial layup to make it 79–75. Carlow continued to answer, highlighted by a deep three from Adnan Sbai to cut it to 78–79, and a series of finishes from Pavihi and Giannetta that kept the pressure on.

In the final minute, the Lions' veterans delivered. Santiago found Kevon Washington slicing to the rim for a layup with 58 seconds left, stretching the lead to 81–78. Washington, who finished with 10 points, three assists, and steady guard play, made that drive count at a critical moment. After Carlow trimmed it to 81–80, Santiago again drew contact and knocked down two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to make it 83–80.

Carlow scored quickly to pull within one at 83–82, but Shenango executed perfectly on the ensuing inbounds. Grocott was fouled with three seconds left and calmly buried both free throws, pushing the lead back to 85–82. A last-second three-point attempt by Pavihi missed, and the Lions secured the rebound as time expired, sealing the win.

As a team, Shenango shot 51.6% from the field and 37.5% from three (9-for-24), and an impressive 92.3% from the free-throw line (12-for-13)—numbers that proved decisive in such a tight contest. The victory lifts Penn State Shenango to 4–3 overall, while Carlow drops to 0–8 despite a strong offensive showing.