LANCASTER, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team defeated conference foe St. Mary's (Md.) 77-67 in semifinal action at Lancaster Bible's Horst Athletic Center on Friday night to advance to the United East Championship Game for the second straight season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Behind a career night from Nate Curry and a strong second half by Donyae Baylor-Carroll, Penn State Harrisburg (22-3) ground out a hard-fought victory over St. Mary's (13-10) to punch its ticket to the Saturday's United East Championship Game.

Curry recorded a double-double, pouring in a game-high 25 points on 80 percent shooting to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds. Baylor-Carroll netted 20 points, including 13 in the second half, and dished-out a team-best four assists. Brandon Coleman was the third player to reach double figures with 13 points and eight boards.

Trailing 30-29 late in the first half, the Lions put together an 8-0 run in the final three minutes to take a 37-30 advantage into the break. Coleman and Baylor-Carroll combined for four free throws, while Alex Leiba added four points during the run. 

Baylor-Carroll and Curry connected on back-to-back 3-balls early in the second half to push the lead to 13 but the Seahawks hung around and eventually cut the deficit to six following a Seth Jones free throw with 11:48 left to play. 

Pedro Rodriguez halted the St. Mary's momentum by flushing a triple the next time down the floor and following it up with a pair of free throws that pushed the lead back to double digits after a steal on the other end. 

The Seahawks fought back again and drew to within four points as late as the 7:06 mark but Baylor-Carroll and Curry shouldered the offensive load down the stretch, combining to score 14 points in a row over a 5:22 span in crunch time. The pair proved too much for St. Mary's and the Blue & White converted free throws in the final moments to put the game on ice.

NOTABLES

- With the victory, the Lions set a new single-season program record with 22 wins this year. 

- Penn State Harrisburg shot 45.8 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.

- The Blue & White got to the foul line 37 times, converting 26 attempts.

- St. Mary's won the rebounding battle 41-37.

- The Seahawks scored 25 second-chance points.

- Nate Curry shot 80 percent from the field, was 3-for-3 from 3-point land, and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. He netted a career-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

- Donyae Baylor-Carroll netted 20 points, dished out a team-high four assists, grabbed four boards, and had three steals.

- Brandon Coleman finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

- Zegary Scott III had seven points and a pair of assists. 

- Pedro Rodriguez added five points and five rebounds off the bench.

- Alex Leiba pitched in with five points and four boards in a reserve role.

- Gary Grant led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds for St. Mary's.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions will face top-seeded Lancaster Bible at LBC's Horst Athletic Center in the United East Championship Game on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

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