MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team battled against a St. John Fisher squad receiving votes in the national rankings before falling 74-57 in the program's Pride-Spirit-Honor Tournament Championship Game at the Capital Union Building on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 28.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Penn State Harrisburg (4-3) hung tough with St. John Fisher (6-0), a team receiving votes in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll, for three-plus quarters before falling in the 2021 Pride-Spirit-Honor Tournament Title Game on Sunday afternoon. Anna Mahan led the way with 18 points and six rebounds, while Jayla Galbreath finished with 11 points and five assists. 

The Lions fell behind in the early going but Mahan did her best to keep her squad within striking distance by scoring all six of the team's first-quarter points. The visitors stretched their lead to as much as 32-17 with 3:14 left in the first half but the Blue & White put together a crucial 10-0 run to end the second quarter, capped by the rare five-point play from Kendis Butler just before the break.  

Butler came away with a steal early in the third quarter and pushed the pace before using a cross-court pass to find an open Galbreath for a corner 3-ball that cut the deficit to 32-30 just 43 seconds into the second half. Another triple from Galbreath brought the Lions to within one at 42-41 at the 3:27 mark before Fisher used an 8-2 run to push the lead to 50-43 heading into the fourth. 

The visitors put together a 10-2 spurt to begin the final quarter and extend their advantage to 60-45 with six minutes to play. Macy Carroll connected on a 3-ball to cut the deficit to 12 but that's as close as the Lions would get the rest of the way.  

NOTABLES 

- The Lions shot 34 percent from the field, compared to 40.7 percent by St. John Fisher. 

- Penn State Harrisburg shot an impressive 45 percent from 3-point range, while holding the Cardinals to 12.5 percent shooting from distance. 

- The visitors won the rebounding battle by a significant margin at 49-30.  

- St. John Fisher got to the foul line 30 times and shot 80 percent. The Blue & White finished 14-21 from the charity stripe. 

- The Cardinals managed 29 points off turnovers and 16 second chance points.  

- Anna Mahan netted a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-best six rebounds. 

- Jayla Galbreath finished with 11 points and five assists. 

- For their efforts, Mahan and Galbreath were named to the all-tournament team. 

- Kendis Butler added nine points and three steals.  

- Jenna Montana tallied six points, five assists, and four rebounds.  

- St. John Fisher's Kaitlyn Walker posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds. She was named the tournament MVP.  

- Claire Kruszka scored a team-high 14 points for the Cardinals. She was named to the all-tournament team. 

WHO'S NEXT? 

The Lions open conference play by hosting United East foe Wells at the Capital Union Building on Friday night, Dec. 3. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. 

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