GALLOWAY, N.J. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team dropped a 65-54 decision to Stockton to open up the 2025-26 season on Saturday evening, Nov. 8.


Sarah Skaggs, Nicole Hernandez, and Kennadi Johnson led the Lions with 12 points apiece, while Lauren Moffatt flirted with a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.


Stockton (1-0) got out to an early 8-2 lead in the opening quarter, before Hernandez had a tip-in to slightly close the gap. Despite Skaggs' free throws in the closing seconds, the Lions trailed 19-10 at the end of the quarter.


Penn State Harrisburg (0-1) outscored Stockton 15-9 in the second quarter, led by key contributions from Mikayla Coleman and Hernandez. Coleman opened the scoring with a jumper, cutting the deficit to seven, while Hernandez and Skaggs each added a 3-pointer, aiding the comeback. Aiyonna Alexander kept the Ospreys competitive with an old-fashioned 3-point play, but Hernandez's three-pointer with just over a minute to go brought the Lions within two points. With a late free throw from Alexander, the Lions went into halftime trailing by just three, 28-25.


The Lions went on a timely 8-0 run to open up the second half, which was fueled by a jumper from Moffatt and 3-pointers from Johnson and Skaggs and brought the score to 33-28 in favor of the visitors. Stockton responded with a nine-point rally of their own that spanned over four minutes, but the surge was halted by Azaria Bryant Franklin's shot from beyond the arc and a layup by Skaggs. The home team kept pushing and ended the frame with six-straight points to bring the score to 43-38.


In the final quarter, Stockton secured the victory with a 65-54 win over the Lions, thanks in part to Zemirah Enalls's offensive contributions. Penn State Harrisburg attempted to claw back multiple times, with the help of layups by Moffatt and a pair of 3-pointers from Johnson, but the deficit was too much to overcome in the end.


NOTABLES
- Skaggs went perfect from the field, going 4-for-4 to tally 12 points, adding five rebounds.
- Moffatt came close to a double-double, with nine points and nine rebounds, to go along with four assists and a pair of steals.
- Hernandez recorded 12 points and three rebounds. 
- Johnson knocked down four 3-pointers, which was good enough for 12 total points.
- Stockton's Enalls posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. 
- The Ospreys earned 40 points in the paint, compared to the Lions' 14.


WHO'S NEXT? 
Penn State Harrisburg travels to Marywood on Tuesday night, Nov. 11 for a non-conference contest at 7 p.m.


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