ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A rough shooting night doomed Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team in an 80-62 non-conference setback at Muhlenberg on Tuesday night, Nov. 19. 


Chris Henderson led the way, flirting with a double-double and finishing with a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Spencer was the only other Penn State Harrisburg player to reach double figures with 11 points. 


The Lions (1-3) jumped out to a 5-0 lead to begin the game thanks to buckets from Henderson and Isaiah Eggleston but the Mules (3-2) used a barrage of 3-balls to erase the early deficit and pull ahead midway through the opening half. 


After Muhlenberg pulled ahead by double digits for the first time, field goals from Nate Townsend and Irby Hunter drew Penn State Harrisburg back to within nine but the home team closed out the half with a game-changing 11-2 spurt that expanded the lead to 45-25 heading into the break.


After trailing by as many as 24 points early in the second half, the Lions turned up the defensive pressure and used a 10-3 run that included a triple from Mason Pulliam and a jumper from Kyle Rhoden to cut the deficit to 61-45 with 9:52 remaining. 


Muhlenberg responded with 10-0 run while Penn State Harrisburg's offense went ice cold, allowing the Mules to keep the visitors at arm's length as the final minutes ticked away. 


NOTABLES
- The Lions shot just 4-of-25 (16 percent) from beyond the arc and 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from the foul line.
- Muhlenberg shot a blistering 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from 3-point range and 50 percent from the field.
- Penn State Harrisburg won the rebounding battle 42-35.
- The Lions scored 34 of their points in the paint.
- Henderson finished with a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds.
- Spencer added 11 points off the bench.
- Hunter chipped in with nine points in a reserve role. 
- Eggleston had eight points and six boards.
- Pulliam connected on a pair of 3-pointers and finished with seven points off the bench.


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions return to the Capital Union Building to host CCNY for non-conference action on Saturday afternoon.


STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.