BRIDGEWATER, Va. - A massive shooting disparity in the second half caused a six-game win streak to come to an end for Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team with an 80-64 non-conference setback at Bridgewater (Va.) on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 9.
Donyae Baylor-Carroll was the team's lone player to reach double figures with 15 points, while Isaiah Eggleston added eight off the bench. Nate Curry finished with seven points and four players scored six points apiece.
A back-and-forth game for much of the opening half became something else when the Eagles (8-2) scored 17 straight points to close out the first and open the second, turning a 33-28 deficit into a 42-28 advantage with 18:01 left to play. Bridgewater hit four consecutive 3-pointers to begin the second half and shot a blistering 75 percent (9-of-12) from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes.
The Lions (9-2) tried to chip away after a Curry jumper momentarily halted the bleeding but the home team responded with another triple before eventually stretching the lead to 17 with 16:20 to play. Penn State Harrisburg put together an 8-0 run capped by back-to-back Baylor-Carroll layups that cut the deficit to 49-40 at the 12:57 mark but the Eagles answered every potential push from the visitors.
In a story of two very different shooting performances, the Lions went an uncharacteristically 0-for-11 from 3-point range in the second half, effectively preventing any sort of substantial comeback effort down the stretch. Eggleston converted a pair of free throws to draw his team to within 57-48 with 8:47 remaining but that's as close as Penn State Harrisburg would get the rest of the way.
NOTABLES
- The difference proved 3-point production, as the Lions shot just 13.6 percent (3-of-22) from beyond the arc, while Bridgewater shot a stout 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from distance.
- The Eagles won the rebounding battle 39-34.
- Bridgewater shot 22 free throws compared to just 12 for Penn State Harrisburg.
- Baylor-Carroll netted a team-high 15 points to surpass the 1,600 mark for his career. He added four rebounds and a pair of assists.
- Eggleston had one of his better performances of the season with eight points and five boards off the bench.
- Curry finished with seven points and four rebounds. He reached the 1,300-point mark for his career in the process.
- Lance Douglas added six points, four steals, and three boards,
- Alex Leiba grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while Chase Robinson dished out a team-best four assists.
- Dylan Moore and Malachi Thomas combined for 12 points off the bench.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions will look to bounce back in a non-conference outing at Alvernia on Monday night, Dec. 18.
STAY CONNECTED
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