MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team held off a scrappy Bryn Athyn squad in a 49-44 conference victory at the Capital Union Building on Thursday night, Feb. 13.
 
Jordan Carpenter netted a team-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists, while Mikayla Coleman added a dozen points of her own. Sam Shaak finished with eight points and six boards and Ali Lister added seven points and grabbed five rebounds.
 
After a low scoring first quarter, Penn State Harrisburg (18-6, 11-4 United East) held a slight 9-7 advantage over Bryn Athyn (16-8, 10-5 United East). To open the second frame, Shaak and the visiting Lions' Zhymani Smith traded 3-pointers before Shaak scored a layup off of her own rebound and Coleman cashed in a pair of free throws to put the home team up by six.  
 
Coming out of halftime, the hometown Lions were leading 24-17 and continued to put the pressure on the visitors as they extended the lead to 14 with 1:32 left in the third quarter. Penn State Harrisburg distanced themselves even more at the start of the final frame, as Carpenter converted an old-fashioned 3-point play and Shaak and Carpenter both chipped in a layup each in the opening two minutes.
 
Bryn Athyn came alive in the last seven minutes of the contest, putting together an 18-0 surge that turned a comfortable 21-point advantage into a one-possession game with 55 seconds remaining. Alayna Day was the ultimate spark for the visitors dominate fourth quarter, as she hit all of her four 3-pointers in the final frame, three of which came in the impressive late-game run.
 
With time running out on the clock, Bryn Athyn was forced to foul and Coleman made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. Down by four, Day got off a decent look for the visiting Lions but her 3-point attempt rimmed out and Shaak added a free throw to seal the victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Carpenter had a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds.
- Coleman went 5-for-6 from the foul line, en route to 10 points.
- Shaak recorded eight points, six boards, and a pair of assists.
- Lister was all over the floor for Penn State Harrisburg, tallying seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
- The hometown Lions shot 76.5 percent from the free throw line, going 13-for-17 for the game.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions have their final regular season game against St. Elizabeth on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. The rematch of last year's United East Conference Championship will serve as Penn State Harrisburg's senior day.
 
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.