MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team ran out of gas late in the second half of a 69-51 non-conference setback to Eastern at the Capital Union Building on Wednesday night, Dec. 6.
Giahny Correa recorded a team-high 17 points and four assists, while Ali Lister finished with a dozen points and four rebounds. Jayla Galbreath added nine points and Bailey Oehmig grabbed a team-best nine boards.
The Eagles (2-5) came out strong in the opening quarter and created some early separation with an 8-1 run that made it 16-6 at the 1:35 mark but Penn State Harrisburg (4-7) used a layup from Correa and a Galbreath 3-ball to cut the deficit to seven heading into the second period.
Eastern opened the second with a 5-0 spurt that stretched the advantage to 23-11 with 5:20 remaining before halftime but the Lions came to life to end the frame, with back-to-back Lister layups sparking a run that included five free throws, a Correa layup, and a Lister triple to cut the deficit to a single point heading into the break.
Oehmig hit a 3-pointer to tie things at 29-29 early in the third quarter and Galbreath sank a 3-ball of her own three minutes later to give the home team a 32-31 lead at the 5:18 mark. Nicole Hernandez converted a layup midway through the frame to make it 34-32 but the visitors regrouped quickly and closed out the period on a 9-0 run.
After the Eagles extended their lead to double digits early in the fourth, Correa connected from the foul line to bring Penn State Harrisburg to within nine with 5:17 left. Eastern had the answers, however, and used up-tempo guard play to get good looks at the rim, convert six layups down the stretch, and put things out of reach in the closing minutes.
NOTABLES
- Eastern shot 45.8 percent from the field, while the Lions shot 30.2 percent from the floor.
- The Eagles were strong on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 51-27.
- The visitors scored 40 points in the paint and netted 21 points off Penn State Harrisburg turnovers.
- Correa finished with a team-high 17 points and four assists.
- Lister netted 12 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of steals.
- Galbreath hit a trio of 3-pointers to finish with nine points.
- Oehmig grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go along with four points and three steals.
- Jenna Montana added three assists, three boards, and three points.
- Makayla Claggett chipped in with four points off the bench.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions will look to bounce back when they host Delaware Valley for another non-conference tilt at the Capital Union Building on Saturday afternoon.
STAY CONNECTED
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