MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team opened the 2022-23 campaign with a 72-54 victory over Chatham at the Capital Union Building in the opening contest of the the Penn State Harrisburg Tip-Off Classic presented by Comfort Inn & Suites Harrisburg Airport - Hershey South on Saturday evening, Nov. 12.
Zegary Scott III netted a game-high 21 points, while Nate Curry finished with 17 of his own. Alex Leiba posted a double-double with 13 points and game-high 12 rebounds.
The Lions (1-0) jumped out to a 7-0 advantage but Chatham (0-1) pulled to within two at 12-10 midway through the opening half. The home team promptly responded with three straight 3-pointers from Curry, Lance Douglas, and Chris Haynes to stretch the lead to 11 at the 7:58 mark before a layup and free throw from Leiba pushed the advantage to 14 moments later.
Curry, Leiba, and Scott combined for the team's first six points after halftime and a Curry jumper ballooned the lead to 20 for the first time with 15:11 left to play. Back-to-back layups from Isaiah Eggleston and Scott made it 58-34 at the 8:49 mark and seven straight points from Scott pushed the lead to 25 with less than four minutes to go, prompting head coach Don Friday to begin emptying his bench.
NOTABLES
- Scott led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He added five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
- Curry flirted with a double-double, finishing with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, eight boards, and three steals.
- Leiba secured his first career double-double with 13 points and a dozen rebounds.
- Haynes finished with eight points, five boards, and three assists.
- Douglas chipped in with five rebounds, four steals, three points, and three assists.
- Eggleston added five points and five boards off the bench.
- The Lions shot 49.1 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point range.
- Penn State Harrisburg won the rebounding battle 48-31.
- The Lions tallied 16 second-chance points.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions close out their tip-off classic with a marquee matchup against No. 9 Stockton on Sunday afternoon. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.