MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team dropped its conference opener against Wilson 64-47 on Wednesday night, Dec. 3 at the Capital Union Building.


Molli Hogbin flirted with a triple-double, tallying 10 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks, while Mikayla Coleman added 19 points and five rebounds. Lauren Moffatt chipped in eight rebounds and Bre'ijha Painter grabbed six boards of her own.


Hogbin opened the game with back-to-back layups to put Penn State Harrisburg (1-7, 0-1 United East) up early. Although Wilson's Kailee Soto hit a shot from beyond the arc, Kennadi Johnson answered with a 3-ball of her own to extend the Lions' lead back to four. The Phoenix (5-4, 1-0 United East) went on a short 5-0 spurt to earn their first advantage of the contest before both squads traded free throws. The back-and-forth start culminated with five straight points from the visitors' Chole Irving that made it 18-15 Wilson after one.


Wilson continued its momentum into the second frame, going on two separate 6-0 runs that connected the midway point and the final couple of minutes, leading to a 12-point advantage for the Phoenix going into halftime. The Lions were plagued by shooting woes, scoring just five total points during the quarter.


Although the home team attempted to claw back coming out of halftime, Wilson saw it's biggest lead of the contest when Leah Laubach scored a layup to make it 51-34 with 50 seconds left in the third. Penn State Harrisburg got within 10 points at the start of the final frame when Coleman hit a 3-pointer and Hogbin scored a layup, but the Phoenix proved to be too much for the Lions and the visitors secured the 64-47 victory.


NOTABLES
- Hogbin contributed all over for Penn State Harrisburg, tallying 10 points, seven rebounds, six blocks, and a pair of assists.
- Coleman recorded 19 points, five rebounds, and two helpers.
- Moffat grabbed eight boards, while Painter added six rebounds of her own.
- The Lions were edged in the rebounding department 47-43.
- Wilson finished with 34 points in the paint, compared to 20 for Penn State Harrisburg.


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions travel to La Plume, Pa. on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 6 for a conference tilt against Keystone at 3 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.