MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Despite a strong shooting night, Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team came up just short in a 74-69 overtime loss to non-conference foe Alvernia at the Capital Union Building on Friday night, Nov. 21.


Mikayla Coleman had a career night, scoring 32 points on 48 percent shooting from the field to lead the way. Lauren Moffatt added 10 points and five rebounds, while the team connected on 11 3-pointers to spark the squad's offense.


The Lions (0-5) opened the game by burying five 3-balls in the first quarter and added free throws from Bre'ijha Painter and Brookelynn Carr to pull out to a 17-10 advantage heading into the second frame. Alvernia (3-1) came to life in the second quarter, however, using a key 18-8 run to pull ahead with 2:37 left before the break. JP Ferguson hit a game-tying 3-pointer but the Golden Wolves used back-to-back layups and a triple of their own to hold on to a 35-32 lead heading into halftime.


Penn State Harrisburg opened the third with a Nicole Hernandez layup and a Coleman trey to pull back ahead 37-35 but Alvernia put together an 13-5 spurt to pull back out in front 48-45 heading into the final period. The visitors led by as many as five points early in the fourth quarter but Penn State Harrisburg came up clutch down the stretch when Kennadi Johnson swiped a steal and found Coleman for a layup in transition to put the home team ahead 62-61 with 29 seconds left.


Alvernia used an offensive rebound and putback with seven seconds remaining to grab back the lead but after a foul on the ensuing possession, Coleman hit the front end of a pair of free throws to tie things up and force overtime. The teams traded buckets to begin the extra session but the Wolves used a 3-ball with 1:26 to go and a Penn State Harrisburg turnover on the next possession to get the ball back. The visitors converted a jumper with 28 seconds left to go up two possessions and despite a pair of Moffatt foul shots in the final seconds, Alvernia held off the comeback attempt to escape with the narrow win.


NOTABLES
- The Lions shot 39.3 percent from 3-point range (11-of-28), including 83.3 percent in the first quarter.
- Alvernia scored 38 points in the paint and finished with 19 second chance points.
- The Golden Wolves won the rebounding battle 47-25.
- Alvernia's bench outscored the Penn State Harrisburg reserves 27-14.
- Coleman turned in a career night, racking up a game-high 32 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds.
- Moffatt added 10 points, five boards and three assists.
- Painter finished with seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
- Sarah Skaggs chipped in with five points, five boards and a pair of assists.
- Hernandez finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists.


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions return to action when they host Penn State Brandywine for a non-conference contest on Tuesday night.


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