Penn State Abington 74, Penn State Harrisburg 68

Harrisburg Starters

Gordon, Amey, Butler, Kubalak, Mahan

Abington Starters

Barrow, Tabares, MacLachlin, Gaddy, Nagbe

How It Happened

Penn State Harrisburg's fourth-quarter rally came up just short as the Lions fell to North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) rival Penn State Abington on Wednesday night, Jan. 22 by a score of 74-68.

Sidney Gordon got the Penn State Harrisburg (6-9, 4-2) offense going, knocking down a three-pointer for the first points of the game. Kendis Butler followed connecting on her first three-pointer of the game. Penn State Abington (7-7, 5-1) would go on a 9-0 run to take an early 18-8 lead. Butler would knocked down another three-pointer to end the run, part of her team high 20 points. The teams would trade baskets to close the quarter, with Abington holding a seven-point lead.

Abington would open the second quarter on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 15 points. Kayla Cade would end the run with a layup, but Harrisburg struggled to cut into their deficit for much of the quarter. Laurel Amey and Jayla Galbreath each connected on a three-pointer late in the quarter, but the Lions still trailed by 18-points at the half.  

Butler got the Lions offense started in the second half, knocking down her third three-pointer of the game. Butler would then drive to the basket, drawing a foul and finishing the layup to pull Harrisburg back within 14 points. Harrisburg continued to chip away at Abington's lead, with Amey's three-pointer midway through the quarter, pulling Harrisburg back within nine points. Butler closed the quarter with a layup, but Harrisburg trailed by 12 heading to the fourth quarter.

Mahan opened scoring in the fourth quarter hitting a three-pointer. Trailing by 11, Mahan would again connect on a three-pointer to pull Harrisburg within eight points. Gordon's layup with 5:48, cut the lead to five points. Abington would respond and stretched their advantage back to 11 points with just over two minutes remaining. Harrisburg would make one final push, starting with a three-pointer from Galbreath. Amey would add another three-pointer and after forcing an Abington turnover, Galbreath would finish a layup to pull Harrisburg within three-points with only 47 seconds remaining. Harrisburg would get no closer, as Abington held on to capture the victory.

Inside the Numbers

- The Lions' offense was led by Kendis Butler who scored 20 points, going 7-7 at the free throw line

- Anna Mahan posted a double-double, scoring 14 points while collecting 10 rebounds

- Laurel Amey recorded 12 points, connecting three times from beyond the arc

- Penn State Abington won the rebounding battle, holding a 55-37 advantage

- Harrisburg continued its outstanding 3-point shooting, making 11 3-pointers

- Sidney Gordon reached double figures, scoring 11 points

- Abington was led by Laquana Nagbe who scored 22 points and gathered 16 rebounds

Who's Next?

The Lions will return home to take on NEAC foe Penn State Berks on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. Saturday will also serve as the annual Orange 4 Owen Game.

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