MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team erupted late in the first half and rode that wave to a comfortable 77-57 conference victory over United East foe Gallaudet at the Capital Union Building on Tuesday night, Jan. 28.


Kevin Lucas Jr. poured in a career-high 21 points, while Isaiah Eggleston netted 14 to surpass the 1,000-point mark for his career. Dylan Moore added 11 off the bench and Jordan Spencer was the fourth player to reach double figures with 10 points.


Trailing 24-22 at the 4:41 mark, Penn State Harrisburg (13-7, 9-2 United East) put together a crucial run to end the half keyed by a trio of 3-pointers from Lucas, a jumper from Lance Douglas and seven points from Eggleston. The stretch culminated with an elbow triple from Lucas off a Larry Onabanwo find just before the buzzer sounded to make it 39-27 at the break.


Leading by 11 early in the second half, the Lions went on another run, this time a 13-0 spurt capped by a Mason Pulliam layup and another Lucas triple that made it 58-34 with 12:24 left to play. Nate Townsend connected on a jumper to stretch the lead to a game-high 28 at the 9:13 mark. Kyle Rhoden put an exclamation point on the victory with an alley-oop jam off a Townsend lob with 5:16 to go.  


NOTABLES
- Penn State Harrisburg shot 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.
- The Lions assisted on 26 of the team's 31 made field goals.
- Penn State Harrisburg's bench outscored the Gallaudet reserves 44-21.
- The Lions scored 24 turnovers off 18 Bison turnovers.
- With a midrange jumper late in the first half, Eggleston surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. He's racked up 852 points with Penn State Harrisburg after scoring 154 at St. Mary's (Md.) during his freshman campaign.
- Lucas buried six 3-pointers en route to a career-high 21 points. He also added five assists and five rebounds.
- Moore finished with 11 points and four assists off the bench.
- Spencer added 10 points and six rebounds.
- Douglas had nine points and four boards.


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions host United East rival Penn College 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.