Middletown, Pa. – The Penn State Harrisburg men's basketball team hosted the Frostburg St. Bobcats on Wednesday February 1st in a contest filled with intensity from both teams. Harrisburg only led in the first and last minute of the game, but it was enough to secure their sixth Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) win 56-53.
Penn State Harrisburg Starters:
Harris, White, Brown, Daniels, Alliyu
Frostburg St. Starters:
Coston, Cole, Michael, Alexander, Coalmon
How it Happened:
Frostburg St. started the game strong with an opening 14-4 run in the first ten minutes. Jazmon Harris (Baltimore, Md./ Patterson) scored five straight to help get the Lions on track and Harrisburg was able to bring the deficit to 30-25 by halftime. Penn State scored the first two points again to start the second. In similar fashion to the first half they found themselves down by ten with 12:49 to go in the game.
The Lions fought back hard in the end, and despite only holding a lead for nearly a minute the entire game, took the lead with 51 seconds and never looked back. The Bobcats had two looks from deep in their final possession, but it was not meant to be. Penn State Harrisburg finished with a 56-53 win.
Impact Performers:
Harrisburg had a very impressive defensive performance, per usual, from Gbolahan Alliyu (Philadelphia, Pa./ Central) who led the team with 15 rebounds and 8 blocks. Marquese Daniels (Philadelphia, Pa./ Philadelphia Electric and Tech. Charter) scored nine very timely points as many of his scores were at a time the Lions needed it most.
Senior captain Jaz Harris continued to lead the team with 24 points by going 9-19 from the field and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. Edwin Cole led the Bobcats with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Playoff Picture:
The Lions win tonight still leaves 9 out of 10 teams in contention for a spot in the six team CAC playoff. Harrisburg is currently tied for 5th with Mary Washington and Wesley. All teams have a 6-7 record. St Mary's is sitting at 8th with a 5-7 record. Christopher Newport and Salisbury are currently the only two teams who have guaranteed a playoff position, both our nationally ranked.
What's Next:
Penn State Harrisburg hits the road for the next three games starting with last place Southern Virginia Saturday February 4th.