READING, Pa. - A shorthanded Penn State Harrisburg men's basketball team gutted out a tightly-contested 76-71 non-conference road victory over a sharpshooting Alvernia squad at AU's Jack McCloskey Court to secure its 10th win of the season on Monday night, Dec. 18.
Donyae Baylor-Carroll and Isaiah Eggleston each netted a team-high 18 points, while Chase Robinson added a dozen points of his own. Nate Curry finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Baylor-Carroll added a game-high six assists.
With the Lions (10-2) trailing 70-69 and less than 90 seconds remaining, Baylor-Carroll's clutch gene was on display when he buried his fourth 3-ball of the night with 1:29 remaining to put the visitors ahead for the final time. The Golden Wolves (6-3) went 1-for-2 from the foul line the next time down but Penn State Harrisburg answered when Curry converted a layup in traffic off a pretty Baylor-Carrol feed on the ensuing possession to stretch the lead to three with less than a minute remaining.
Needing a basket in crunch time, Alvernia came away empty on its next possession and was forced to foul Eggleston after he pulled down his fifth rebound of the contest. The big man iced the game by calmly sinking a pair of free throws in the closing seconds.
The game of runs began with Penn State Harrisburg jumping out to a 7-0 lead to begin the contest but the Golden Wolves quelled the momentum with a 30-second timeout before eventually pulling even at 10-10 at the 15:14 mark. Alvernia took its first lead little more than a minute later and used a 9-2 spurt to grab its largest advantage of the night at 27-20 with 9:26 left before halftime.
The Lions chipped away and used a Robinson 3-pointer to pull to within three heading into the break. The visitors remained within striking distance early in the second half and jumpstarted a push with a Lance Douglas triple followed by five straight points from Baylor-Carroll that put his team back out in front 44-40 with 16:16 remaining.
The home team reclaimed the advantage with 15 minutes left to play and the squads traded leads five times over the next seven minutes. Baylor-Carroll tied things up with a jumper with seven minutes left but the Golden Wolves used an ensuing 8-3 run to pull ahead 66-61 at the 4:53 mark.
Eggleston sparked the Penn State Harrisburg offense with a pair of free throws and a game-tying 3-pointer but Alvernia answered with a foul shot and a triple with 2:44 remaining. Baylor-Carroll had the response, however, connecting on a pair of free throws before putting the Lions ahead for good with his clutch 3-ball down the stretch.
NOTABLES
- The Lions shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.
- Alvernia shot 37.9 percent from the field and just 28.6 percent from 3-point range.
- Penn State Harrisburg assisted on 20 of its 26 field goals.
- The Golden Wolves edged the visitors 41-39 on the glass.
- Penn State Harrisburg's bench outscored Alvernia's reserves 27-20.
- Baylor-Carroll racked up a team-high 18 points, a game-high six assists, four rebounds, and a pair of steals.
- Eggelston was excellent off the bench, netting a team-high 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting and grabbing five boards.
- Curry finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
- Robinson impressed with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
- Dylan Moore added seven points off the bench.
- Douglas chipped in with five assists and four rebounds.
- Alex Leiba battled through foul trouble to add six points and a pair of blocks.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions return to action at Randolph-Macon's Coaches Tournament beginning on Friday night, Dec. 29. They'll face North Carolina Wesleyan in the opening contest.
STAY CONNECTED
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