GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Three Penn State Harrisburg players reached the double-digit scoring mark and the Lions used an 11-5 run over the last 3:34 to best Gettysburg 71-65 on Saturday, Nov. 16 on the final day of the Bullets' tip-off tournament. Penn State Harrisburg freshman point guard Marquese Daniels (Wyncote, Pa. / Philadelphia Electric & Technology Charter) was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts.
The win over Gettysburg was Daniels' coming out party as the frosh netted a game-high 16 points, including two late free throws that gave the Lions a one-point lead they wouldn't relinquish with 1:06 left to play. He also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds and dished out a game-high six assists.
The Lions jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before Gettysburg fought back and tied the score at 8-apiece with 16 minutes remaining in the first half. The Bullets took their first and only lead of the half when Kevin Gladstone went 1-2 from the foul line to make it 11-10 at the 14:30 mark.
Sophomore Joey Farthing's (Lancaster, Pa. / Hempfield) three-ball regained the advantage for the Blue & White a minute later and the visitors methodically kept Gettysburg at bay for the rest of the half. Penn State Harrisburg took its largest lead of the opening frame at 35-28 when senior captain Kenny Stone (Philadelphia, Pa. / Scotland) converted an old fashioned three-point play with 1:03 remaining before the break.
Stone hit another layup just moments into the second half to up the Blue & White's advantage to 37-30 and Daniels preserved the lead when he connected from beyond the arc, bringing the score to 46-39 with 15:23 left to play.
From there, the Bullets started to get it together offensively and began cutting into the deficit. With Penn State Harrisburg leading 53-50, Gettysburg used a 10-4 run ending with a Cody Kiefer trifecta to take a 60-57 advantage with 5:13 remaining in regulation.
Over the course of the next two minutes, however, sophomore Jamaal Dubose (Bowie, Md. / Bowie) converted a free throw and fellow second-year player Jared Deibler (Middletown, Pa. / Middletown Area) grabbed an offensive rebound and laid his shot off the glass and in to tie the score at 60 with three and half minutes left to play.
Then Penn State Harrisburg went on its decisive run. Junior Kevin Icker (Scranton, Pa. / Scranton Prep) made a pretty spin move in the lane and laid one in. Daniels sank his foul shots. Junior sharpshooter Joshua Johnson (Franklin, Va. / Southampton) stuck the dagger in the Bullets' comeback chances when he drained a three-ball from the right corner with 41 seconds left and Stone and Daniels combined to net the Lions' final four points.
The win was Don Friday's first as the head coach at Penn State Harrisburg. The consolation game victory improved the Blue & White to 1-1 on the year and dropped Gettysburg to 0-2.
"Our win today was the result of our kids' ability to make necessary adjustments," said Friday. "We talked this morning about how we could better attack zone defenses after last night's outcome. Give credit to our players. They did a nice job of attacking Gettysburg's zone this afternoon."
"I'm pleased we guarded them in segments defensively," he added. "They are a very deliberate team and we made them take some uncomfortable shots."
Farthing and Stone had big days as both young men scored 15 points. Farthing added five boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks, including one huge rejection that kept Gettysburg from retaking the lead in crunch time. Stone was efficient, going 5-6 from the field and from the charity stripe in 26 minutes of play. Johnson added eight tallies and five boards while Icker and Deibler netted six points each. Deibler also corralled a team-high seven rebounds.
"The fact that we had to grind it out late will only help us become more poised," said Friday. "Joey (Farthing) was so steady all weekend. He plays the way he practices. I couldn't be more proud of Josh (Johnson). He hit a huge late three that sealed our margin. He really dedicates himself to improvement and it showed today."
The Lions outshot Gettysburg 42.1 percent to 29.2 percent from three-point land and 59.1 percent to 41.7 percent from the free throw line. Penn State Harrisburg also outrebounded the Bullets 39-36.
Penn State Harrisburg is next in action on Wednesday night, Nov. 20 when the Lions return to the Capital Union Building for their home opener against Messiah.