by Justin Goodhart

LANCASTER, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team fell short in the semifinal round of the United East Championship Tournament, dropping a 63-56 defensive battle to Penn State Abington at the Horst Athletic Center at Lancaster Bible College on Friday night, Feb. 24.

Nate Curry, a United East First-Team All-Conference pick, led the Lions (15-11) in scoring with 15 points. United East Second-Team All-Conference honoree Zegary Scott III finished with 14 points, while Isaiah Eggleston, Lance Douglas, and Malik Holland scored seven points apiece.

Late in the first half, the Lions held a 19-11 lead before Penn State Abington (18-8) closed out the half on an 8-2 run to cut it to a more manageable 21-19 deficit heading into the locker room. Penn State Abington held a one-point lead midway through the second half when they went on a 9-0 run to push the lead to 10 points with 7:43 left in the game.

A 3-pointer from Malik Holland cut the deficit to five with 6:55 remaining, keeping the Lions within striking distance but Penn State Harrisburg was unable to close the gap as Penn State Abington held off the Lions' late comeback attempt to solidify the win.

NOTABLES

- Penn State Harrisburg shot 19.0 percent from beyond the arc, while Penn State Abington shot 41.2 percent from distance.

- Penn State Abington won the rebounding battle 36-27

- Penn State Harrisburg scored 20 points off 21 Penn State Abington turnovers, while only committing 12 as a team.

- Curry went 7-of-13 from the field and collected five rebounds to go along with his 15 points.

- Scott finished with 14 points and a game-high six assists.

- Eggleston grabbed a team-high eight boards and scored seven points.

- United East Rookie of the Year Chase Robinson added four points to go along with one steal, an assist, and two rebounds.

- Penn State Abington had 16 assists for the game to Penn State Harrisburg's 11.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

After the game, Penn State Harrisburg head coach Don Friday expressed how proud and grateful he was for the people in and surrounding the men's basketball program. "This was not an easy year," he said. "But our players were resilient on the court, in the classroom, and in their personal lives."

He went on to highlight the togetherness of his program. "What I truly enjoyed about this team is how the guys looked after each other and that extended to parents, friends, and members of the Penn State Harrisburg community."

He concluded his message to his players by affirming that the team's seniors set to graduate from the program will be successful as fathers, husbands, and men as they continue on with their post-playing journeys.

STAY CONNECTED

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