ABINGTON, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team used a big second half to create a massive cushion in a 78-53 road victory over conference foe Penn State Abington and remain unbeaten in United East play on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 13.
Nate Curry was stellar in recording his fifth double-double of the season behind a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds. Lance Douglas netted a career-high 16 points with four steals and Alex Leiba was the third player to reach double figures with a dozen points.
After Penn State Harrisburg (14-3, 4-0 United East) pulled ahead by nine with five minutes to play in the first half, Penn State Abington (7-9, 2-3 United East) cut the deficit to a more-manageable five at the break.
The visiting Lions started to impose their will early in the second half, scoring the first five points after the break to push the lead to 38-28 following a Curry free throw at the 18:47 mark. Over the ensuing five minutes, Douglas kept things rolling with a layup and some free throws, Donyae Baylor-Carroll hit a jumper, and Curry knocked down a couple jump shots to balloon the advantage to 21 points with 14 minutes remaining.
It took Penn State Abington the next 10 minutes to pull to within 15 but Curry quickly answered with a jumper followed by a Leiba layup off a feed from Curry. Baylor-Carroll eventually used a pretty over-the-shoulder pass to find Curry for a dagger 3-ball that made it 75-51 with 2:15 to play and put things out of reach for good.
NOTABLES
- The visiting Lions shot 53.6 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from 3-point range.
- Penn State Harrisburg won the rebounding battle 40-29.
- The visitors recorded assists on 21 of their 30 field goals.
- The Penn State Harrisburg bench outscored the Penn State Abington reserves 16-7.
- Curry flirted with a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 22 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
- Douglas filled up the stat sheet with a career-high 16 points, five assists, four boards, and four steals.
- Leiba finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
- Isaiah Milien added seven points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists in his first career start.
- Baylor-Carroll battled through foul trouble to finish with five points, four rebounds, and three assists.
- Malik Holland chipped in with five points off the bench.
- Larry Onabanwo pitched in with four points and three assists in a reserve role.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions continue United East play when they travel to St. Mary's (Md.) on Tuesday night.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.