MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Behind another strong defensive performance, Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team clinched home court advantage for the Volt Division side of the upcoming United East Championship Tournament thanks to a 73-52 victory over conference rival St. Mary's (Md.) at the Capital Union Building on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 10. The win was Penn State Harrisburg's 10th in a row.
On Senior Day, Donyae Baylor-Carroll netted a game-high 17 points to go along with seven assists and four steals, while Nate Curry flirted with a double-double with a dozen points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Milien racked up 12 points and seven boards off the bench, while Malik Holland buried three triples en route to 11 points.
A slugfest between the top two defenses in the United East saw both squads make things tough for the other in the opening half. The teams traded leads four times in the first 15 minutes before Penn State Harrisburg (21-3, 11-0 United East) ended the half on a 13-5 run that included a pair of Holland 3-balls and five points from Lance Douglas.
The Lions pushed the lead to double digits thanks to a Curry jumper off a Baylor-Carroll feed little more than a minute into the second half but the Seahawks (13-11, 8-3 United East) pulled to within six with an ensuing 4-0 spurt. From there, the home team locked down defensively and did not allow a point for more than six minutes. On the other end, Curry converted a layup, Baylor-Carroll connected on a triple and transition layup on back-to-back possessions, and Curry found Isaiah Eggleston for a bucket to stretch the lead to 47-31 with 11:08 left to play.
Penn State Harrisburg kept St. Mary's at arm's length the rest of the way, with the visitors never pulling closer than 13 points. Down the stretch, Curry hit a jumper from beyond the arc, Douglas converted a pair of free throws, and Milien and Baylor-Carroll combined for seven straight points to push the advantage past 20 with 3:15 left. Holland put an exclamation point on things with his third trey before Alex Leiba put back an errant attempt in the final minute to cap the game's scoring.
NOTABLES
- With the win, the Lions clinched home court for the upcoming United East Championship Tournament.
- The victory was Penn State Harrisburg's 10th in a row.
- The Lions held St. Mary's to 35.8 percent shooting from the field and just 11.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Penn State Harrisburg's bench outscored the Seahawk reserves 16-8.
- Baylor-Carroll talled a game-high 17 points, seven assists, and four steals.
- Curry nearly had a double-double with a dozen points and eight rebounds. He added two assists and a pair of steals.
- Milien racked up 12 points, seven boards, a pair of assists, and two steals off the bench.
- Holland hit three triples en route to netting 11 points.
- Douglas did a little bit of everything, finishing with nine points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
- Leiba had eight points and four boards.
- Eggleston added four points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks off the bench.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to Saturday's contest, Penn State Harrisburg honored its four members of the Class of 2024 in Donyae Baylor-Carroll, Nate Curry, Alex Leiba, and Malik Holland as part of the program's Senior Day festivities.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions travel to Lancaster Bible for another matchup with their conference rivals in each team's regular season finale on Tuesday night, Feb. 10.
STAY CONNECTED
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