MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team completed the weekend sweep of its Penn State Harrisburg Tip-Off Classic presented by Comfort Inn & Suites Harrisburg – Hershey South with a 79-71 victory over a talented St. John Fisher squad at the Capital Union Building on Sunday evening, Nov. 12.
Donyae Baylor-Carroll was named the event's most valuable player after erupting for a game-high 27 points to go along with seven assists and six steals. Alex Leiba recorded his second straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Nate Curry continued his strong start with 14 points and seven boards. Chase Robinson was the fourth Penn State Harrisburg player to reach double figures with 11 points.
After trailing by six midway through the second half, Baylor-Carroll capped a 7-1 run by draining a gaem-tying 3-ball with 8:17 left before Dylan Moore hit the biggest shot of his young career – a corner triple off a Baylor-Carroll assist that put the Lions (3-0) up 55-52 with 6:37 remaining. Baylor-Carroll followed it up by shrugging off contact from St. John Fisher's Daniel Cook and converting a tough layup in the lane before knocking down another trifecta the next time down the floor to push the lead to 60-52 at the 5:47 mark.
The Cardinals (1-2) scored four straight to pull to within four with less than four minutes to play but the Lions answered with an offensive rebound and tip-in from Curry and another Baylor-Carroll layup to halt the SJF push. A Curry jumper off a Baylor-Carroll find stretched the advantage to 66-59 at the 2:42 mark and after Brendan McRoy responded with a pretty fadeaway jumper, Curry hit another baseline jumper off an inbound pass from Chase Robinson to make it 68-61 with a minute and a half left.
Baylor-Carroll found a streaking Robinson for a transition layup with 72 seconds remaining and the Cardinals were forced to foul down the stretch. Robinson, Leiba, and Baylor-Carroll converted four free throws in crunch time before Robinson put an exclamation point on the victory with a two-handed jam off a Baylor-Carroll feed in the closing seconds.
The teams traded the lead five times in the first half before St. John Fisher stretched its advantage to 24-18 with 7:37 left before halftime. The Lions responded with a key 7-0 run sparked by a Lance Douglas 3-pointer and capped by a pair of Curry free throws. The visitors pulled back ahead by five but Penn State Harrisburg closed out the half with another run that saw Isaiah Milien bury a corner 3-ball and give his team a 35-34 lead heading into the break.
NOTABLES
- St. John Fisher shot 47.4 percent from the field. The Lions shot 41.8 percent from the floor.
- Penn State Harrisburg shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the foul line. The Cardinals managed just a 50 percent clip (12-of-24) from the charity stripe.
- The Lions force 15 turnovers and scored 18 points off SJF miscues.
- Baylor-Carroll netted a game-high 27 points to go along with a game-best seven assists and six steals. He was named the event's most valuable player for his efforts.
- Leiba finished with his second double-double of the young season with 13 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and four blocks. He was named to the all-classic team.
- Curry netted 14 points, grabbed seven boards, and added three assists.
- Robinson scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and swiped a pair of steals.
- Douglas had five points, five boards, and four assists.
- Milien and Moore combined to add six points and four rebounds off the bench.
- McRoy netted a team-high 22 points for the Cardinals. He and Cook were named to the all-classic team.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions tough non-conference stretch to begin the season continues when they face No. 3 John Carroll on the opening night of the National Beef Susquehanna Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, Nov. 17.
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