NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Penn State Harrisburg's postseason hopes took a major hit when the Lions fell to Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) powerhouse Christopher Newport 74-44 in front of over 1,000 fans at Newport's Freeman Center on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 15.
The Blue & White fell to 5-9 in conference play and fell two games behind Salisbury and Marymount (Va.) for the league's sixth and final playoff spot. With just two contests remaining on the docket, the Lions would need to win out in addition to getting some help if they are to earn a berth in the CAC postseason tournament.
Sophomore big man Jared Deibler (Middletown, Pa. / Middletown Area) led Penn State Harrisburg with eight points and eight rebounds. The Captains' Mike Cherry scored a game-high 16 points while teammate Evan Thorpe netted 15.
Penn State Harrisburg was strong out of the gate and opened the game by shooting 5-6 from the field. The Lions led for seven of the game's first eight minutes before the Captains clamped down defensively and ended the first half on a momentum changing 25-10 run.
The Blue & White twice cut the deficit to 14 following made baskets by freshman Winton Lyle (Washington, D.C. / Bullis School) but they failed to make any type of significant second half push and Christopher Newport led by more than 20 points for the game's final eight and a half minutes.
Lyle and junior Joey Farthing (Lancaster, Pa. / Hempfield) each scored seven points while senior captain Will Doyle (Franklin, Va. / Tidewater Academy), sophomore Rayshaun Anderson-Brown (Carlisle, Pa. / Carlisle) and freshman Logan Stovall (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area) netted six points apiece. Sophomore big man Malcolm Sudler (Dover, Del. / Dover) pulled in four rebounds before fouling out.
The Captains led in nearly every key statistical category, including points in the paint (30-12), points off turnovers (27-2) and bench points (31-10). The Lions shot 36.4 percent from the field compared to 44.6 from the home team. Penn State Harrisburg managed to shoot 31.3 percent from beyond the arc while Christopher Newport shot 43.6 from distance.
The Lions next outing comes this Wednesday, Feb. 19 when they travel west to take on Wesley in their penultimate game of the season.
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