MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team continued its strong play as of late, securing a valuable 88-65 conference victory over United East foe Morrisville at the Capital Union Building on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 21.

A balanced attack saw Jayla Galbreath score a team-high 16 points, while Kendis Butler shot 66.7 percent from beyond the arc en route to 15 of her own. Bailey Oehmig added 13 points, while Olivia Richardson finished one point shy of double-double (nine points, 10 rebounds).

The Lions (10-6, 7-0 United East) opened the game on a 9-4 run, jumpstarted by consecutive layups from Oehmig and capped by a Jenna Montana 3-pointer. After Morrisville (11-6, 7-1 United East) responded with a layup, Butler answered back with back-to-back deep 3-balls to stretch the advantage to 15-6 midway through the first quarter. The Mustangs pulled to within four at 15-11 but strong defense and six straight free throws from Galbreath and Butler sparked a 12-2 run that gave the home team a 27-13 lead after the first frame.

The intensity continued in the second quarter, with the lead extending to 18 following a Giahny Correa old-fashioned 3-point play at the 4:33 mark before it ballooned to 42-22 thanks to a Richardson triple with 1:35 left before halftime. 

There was no let up after the break, as the Lions opened the second half with a Richardson layup before Butler buried another 3-ball to increase the lead to 21 early in the third. Back-to-back Galbreath jumpers from beyond the arc made it 57-33 midway through the stanza and Penn State Harrisburg took a 22-point advantage into the final quarter.

The visitors tried to get some momentum going in the fourth but were unable to draw any closer than 16 with 5:11 left to play. The Lions used an ensuing 9-2 run to put things out of reach before Macy Carroll put an exclamation point on the scoring with back-to-back triples in the closing minutes.

NOTABLES

- The Lions shot 50 percent from the floor, while Morrisville shot 40.3 percent from the field.

- Penn State Harrisburg was stellar from distance, shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-30).

- The home team shot 70 percent from the foul line (14-for-20). The Mustangs managed just 58.3 percent shooting from the stripe (7-of-12).

- Penn State Harrisburg's bench outshot Morrisville's reserves 27-7.

- Galbreath netted a team-high 16 points and dished out four assists.

- Butler scored 15 points and hit four 3-pointers to go along with four rebounds and a pair of steals.

- Oehmig finished with 13 points and four boards. 

- Richardson nearly had a double-double, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds.

- Mikayla Wright added eight points, five boards, and three assists off the bench.

- Montana tallied eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a reserve role.

- Correa went 4-of-4 from the free throw line en route to netting eight points. 

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions will look to keep rolling when they travel to Penn State Berks for another conference contest on Tuesday night, Jan. 24.

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.