Men's Basketball Grinds Out Win Over Etown

Men's Basketball Grinds Out Win Over Etown

Penn State Harrisburg 80, Elizabethtown 66

 

Harrisburg Starters

Baylor-Carroll, Nelson, Scott, Alliyu, Williams

 

Etown Starters

Dubois, Pastore, Greene, Thomas, Moffatt

 

How It Happened

Penn State Harrisburg overcame Elizabethtown's hot start to grind out an 80-66 victory over another local foe at the Capital Union Building on Wednesday night, Dec. 5.

 

Kahlil Williams had a monster game to lead the Lions (7-1), recording a double-double with a season-high 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Donyae Baylor-Carroll knocked down a trio of 3-pointers en route to 11 points and Keenan Wise dished-out a team-high five assists.

 

The Blue & White had to fight back from a slow start that included the Blue Jays (3-4) jumping out to a 14-3 lead without missing a shot on their first seven attempts. The visitors shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the floor in the first half and led by as many 11 points at the 12:45 mark but Penn State Harrisburg clamped down late, ending the half on a 17-8 run to cut the deficit to one at the break.

 

Etown clung to a slim lead early in the second half before Pedro Rodriguez knocked down a corner triple to tie things up with 13:16 left to play. After trailing the entire way, Williams put the Lions ahead for the first time with an old-fashioned 3-point play off a pretty feed from Zegary Scott III with 12:17 remaining.

 

From there, Penn State Harrisburg put together an 8-2 run capped by an offensive rebound and putback by Rodriguez that made it 58-49 with 9:17 left.

 

The Blue Jays responded, however, and eventually pulled to within two following a Michael Pastore jumper from beyond the arc at the 4:59 mark but the Lions held off the charge and pushed the lead back to nine thanks to a layup from Gbolahan Alliyu, a Baylor-Carroll 3-ball and a pair of free throws from Williams.

 

Elizabethtown was forced to foul down the stretch and the Blue & White converted six free throws in crunch time to put the game on ice.

 

Inside the Numbers

- The Lions shot 50.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.

- Etown shot a white-hot 59.3 percent from the floor in the first half but managed just a 30.6 percent clip after the break.

- Penn State Harrisburg shot 24 free throws on the night, while the Blue Jays got to the line just twice.

- The Blue & White finished with a 40-30 edge on the glass.

- The Harrisburg defense racked up nine steals and scored 14 points off turnovers.

- The Lions' bench outscored the Elizabethtown reserves 24-8.

- The visitors managed just 24 points in the paint, while Penn State Harrisburg racked up 46 points in the lane.

- Kahlil Williams was a beast, posting his first double-double of the year with a game-high 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds.

- Donyae Baylor-Carroll netted 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc, to go along with four assists, four rebounds and one steal.

- Reigning Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Player of the Week Chris Bing posted nine points and a pair of boards in 18 minutes of action.

- Pedro Rodriguez provided a major spark off the bench, netting seven points and pulling down five rebounds.

- Ibn-Haneef Nelson recorded four points, three steals, three boards and two assists.

- Gbolahan Alliyu grabbed eight rebounds to go along with four points and two blocks.

- Brandon Coleman added eight points in 24 minutes off the bench.

- Keenan Wise racked up a team-high five assists.

 

Who's Next?

The Lions get a week off before returning to action when they host Wilson at the Capital Union Building on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 16.

 

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