MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg women's basketball team earned a 54-39 victory over Penn State Berks in a United East Conference contest at the Capital Union Building on Wednesday night, Jan. 7.


Lauren Moffatt flirted with a double-double for the hometown Lions, recording 15 rebounds and eight points, while Mikayla Coleman chipped in 13 points. Akira Cho and Allison Metzgar both added eight points each and Kennadi Johnson totaled six boards and four points.


Penn State Harrisburg (3-12, 2-2 United East) started strong in the opening quarter thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Coleman before Penn State Berks (2-12, 1-3 United East) tied up the score 6-6. The hosts capitalized on a pair of runs in the first frame, the latter of which came in the last minute and a half. The late-quarter surge included a 3-ball from Cho and layups from Ferguson and Nicole Hernandez to give the hometown Lions a 13-point advantage after the first 10 minutes. With 2:58 left in the second quarter, the visitors finished a nine-point run of their own that kept Penn State Harrisburg within striking distance at 28-19.


Coming out of halftime, the hometown Lions saw their largest lead of the night after Coleman hit a 3-pointer and swiped a fastbreak layup to make it 26-8. Penn State Berks answered with their best opportunity of the night when Hailey Miller scored seven-straight points and Jalyn Hann added a jumper to bring the contest within four.


The hosts maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter, as the frame saw a low-scoring affair of just 12 points scored between both squads. The last quarter was also plagued with turnovers, with both teams totaling six miscues apiece. The game concluded with an old-fashioned 3-point play by Cho with 1:04 to go before Penn State Harrisburg finished with a 54-39 victory over the visiting Lions.


NOTABLES
- Moffatt flirted with a double-double, as she tallied 15 boards and eight points. She also added three steals and a pair of assists.
- Cho did a little bit of everything, recording nine points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
- Coleman led the Lions with 13 points.
- Johnson had eight rebounds and six points.
- Sam Shaak totaled three boards, three assists, two steals, two points, and a block.
- JP Ferguson added three steals, two rebounds, two assists, and two points in just seven minutes of play.
- Penn State Harrisburg went 8-for-8 from the free throw line, while Penn State Berks went 8-for-16 from the charity stripe.
- The home team out-rebounded the visitors 55-42.


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions are back home on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10 in a conference matchup against Gallaudet at the Capital Union Building.


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