GRANTHAM, Pa. - Despite a strong second-half effort, Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team was narrowly edged 54-48 by a Messiah squad receiving votes in the latest national rankings on Wednesday night, Nov. 20.
Jordan Carpenter netted a team-high 19 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. In a low-scoring affair, Mikayla Coleman was the only other Penn State Harrisburg player to reach double figures with 10 points.
After trailing by as many as 16 points midway through the second quarter, the Lions (2-1) battled back in the second half, turning a double-digit deficit into their first lead of the night following an Ali Lister layup that put the visitors ahead 39-38 with 8:32 to play in the fourth quarter.
Penn State Harrisburg pushed the advantage to 43-40 thanks to a layup in transition by Carpenter with 6:12 remaining but the Falcons (4-0) answered with a 3-ball on the other end to pull back even at the 5:25 mark.
Carpenter converted three straight free throws over the next minute to put the Lions back out in front but a Liv Monturo fastbreak layup and an EmmyFaith Wood triple kept the seesaw going and put Messiah ahead 48-46 with 3:15 to play. Carpenter's layup on the ensuing possession tied things up at the 2:43 mark but an old-fashioned 3-point play by Monturo swung the score back in favor of the home team with 2:14 remaining.
From there, Penn State Harrisburg's offense went cold, managing just one attempt in the final two minutes. The Falcons tacked on a free throw and layup in the closing moments to escape their home floor with the slim victory.
Messiah led by nine at the break but the Lions closed out the third quarter on a 17-9 run to pull to within one possession entering the final frame. The visitors mounted an impressive comeback effort, chipping away at a sizable second-quarter deficit throughout the second half to set up an exciting finish in the final minutes.
NOTABLES
- The Lions outscored Messiah 30-27 in the second half.
- Messiah finished with a slim 39-37 edge in rebounds.
- The Falcons scored 24 points off 25 Penn State Harrisburg turnovers.
- The teams combined for just five 3-pointers on the night.
- The Messiah bench outscored the Lions reserves 15-7.
- Carpenter finished with team highs of 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
- Coleman was the second player to hit double digits with 10 points.
- Lister grabbed seven boards to go along with six points.
- Sam Shaak pulled down eight rebounds.
- Lauren Moffatt added four points and four boards off the bench.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions return to the Capital Union Building to host Rutgers-Camden 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.
