WASHINGTON, D.C. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit, withstood a late charge, and came through in crunch time to secure a hard-fought 72-70 road victory over United East foe Gallaudet on Monday afternoon, Jan. 17.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Penn State Harrisburg (8-4, 4-1 United East) fought off push after push from Gallaudet (5-7, 3-2 United East) to hold on for a valuable conference win on Monday afternoon. Kendis Butler led the way with a game-high 21 points, while Jayla Galbreath had 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Macy Carroll added eight points off the bench, Anna Mahan worked hard for seven points, 11 boards, and four blocks, and Ciani Redd-Howard finished with seven points of her own.  

Leading by a dozen following a Mahan layup with 7:27 left to play, the Lions watched the home team use a quick 8-0 run to cut the deficit to four with five minutes remaining. Butler halted the momentum with a much-needed 3-ball that pushed the advantage back to seven at the 4:43 mark. Following a Cassidy Perry jumper on the other end, Galbreath connected on a triple off a Butler feed to make it 66-58 with four minutes to go.  

Despite Penn State Harrisburg's timely 3-pointers, Gallaudet refused to go away and put together a 5-0 spurt that made it a one possession game with two and a half minutes to play. Unfortunately for the Bison, they had no answer for Butler in the fourth quarter, and on the ensuing possession, she buried her fifth trey of the day from the left elbow off a feed from Galbreath to stop the spurt and force a GU timeout with 1:57 remaining.  

Perry did her part to keep her team in it, as she converted back-to-back buckets in the final minute to bring Gallaudet to within one with 46 seconds left but again it was Butler stopping the Bison push by splitting a pair of defenders near midcourt, drawing a foul, and knocking down a pair of free throws to make it 71-68 with 17 ticks remaining.  

Jewel Rocha forced a 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left but it missed the mark and Galbreath pulled down the all-important rebound before getting fouled and hitting the game-sealing free throw with nine seconds to play.  

The trio of Butler, Galbreath, and Mahan were dynamic in the final frame. Butler found her stroke down the stretch, going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe to pour in 12 of her game-high 21 points in the last nine minutes of the game. Galbreath netted four points, dished out a pair of assists, and grabbed three rebounds in the closing minutes, while Mahan came up with a clutch layup, three boards, and a key block in fourth.  

Trailing by as much as 12 midway through the second quarter, the Blue & White used 3-balls from Carroll, Sydney Hemler, Galbreath, and Mahan to claw back into it before taking a four-point advantage into halftime thanks to free throws from Redd-Howard and Butler just before the break. After facing a 10-point deficit at the end of first quarter, the Lions ramped it up defensively and held Gallaudet to just nine second-quarter points to swing the momentum to their corner heading into the second half.  

NOTABLES 

- Despite being outscored 32-12 in the paint, the 3-ball proved the difference for the Lions on Monday, as they knocked down 16 triples in the victory. 

- Gallaudet shot 41.7 percent from distance but couldn't keep up with the Blue & White, connecting on just five triples.  

- Penn State Harrisburg got to the foul line 21 times, converting 12 free throws.   

- The Lions got 19 points from the bench, while GU's reserves contributed 22 points.    

- Kendis Butler buried five 3-pointers, including four in the second half, and knocked down six free throws to rack up a game-high 21 points.  

- Jayla Galbreath filled the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds, a team-high four assists, and two steals. 

- Macy Carroll didn't miss a shot in scoring eight points off the bench, going 2-for-2 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.  

- Anna Mahan worked hard for her seven points and team-high 11 boards and four blocks. 

- Ciani Redd-Howard finished with seven points and a pair of rebounds.  

- Jenna Montana came through with a team-high four assists and three steals to go along with three points and three boards. 

- Toni Amato chipped in with five points in a reserve role, while Alli Walton dished out three assists and swiped two steals off the bench. 

- Gallaudet's Cassidy Perry racked up a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in a losing effort.   

WHO'S NEXT? 

The Lions host conference rival Lancaster Bible at the Capital Union Building for another key United East contest on Wednesday night, Jan. 19. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. 

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