LANGHORNE, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's basketball team completed its late-season revenge tour in dramatic fashion, holding off Cairn to secure a heart-stopping 72-71 victory in an instant classic United East Championship Game on Saturday afternoon and capture the program's fourth conference title in the last six seasons.


Jordan Spencer was named the United East Championship Tournament MVP after tallying 12 points and five rebounds. He was one of five Penn State Harrisburg players to reach double figures, with Chris Henderson Jr. leading the way with a game-high 15 points. Dylan Moore finished with 14, while Kevin Lucas Jr. (13) and David Reed IV (12) provided crucial scoring off the bench. 


With the win, Penn State Harrisburg (18-10) secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament and will return to the Big Dance for the fourth time since the 2020 campaign. 


Facing a 10-point deficit with 4:50 to play, Cairn (21-7) put together a quick 13-2 run to reclaim the lead for the first time since the first half when Jaylon Simpson converted a contested layup to put the home team ahead 71-70 with 1:31 remaining. 


After getting a stop on the defensive end, the Lions turned to their point guard in Andre Thomas III and the freshman delivered in crunch time, absorbing contact in the lane and converting an off-balance runner off the glass just moments before the shot clock expired to put Penn State Harrisburg back out in front by one with 34 seconds left. 


The visitors nearly ended the game with 14 seconds left when the Highlanders were forced to burn their final timeout to avoid losing possession. Out of the break, the conference's top defense locked down, running Simpson off the 3-point line and forcing a contested baseline jumper that proved too strong. Thomas grabbed the loose ball with three seconds remaining and hurled it into the front court for Antwone George who chased it down at the buzzer to seal the thrilling conference championship victory and set off a celebratory frenzy. 


Penn State Harrisburg led 34-26 at halftime and Moore stretched the advantage to double digits for the first time when he streaked coast to coast for a layup just 23 seconds into the second half. Cairn eventually cut the deficit to two with 15:50 remaining but Moore stemmed the tide with a timely 3-ball on the ensuing possession. Another triple from Moore, a layup from Spencer and a Lucas trifecta kept the momentum rolling and pushed the lead to 50-39 at the 14:16 mark. 


The Lions kept the home team at arm's length for the next 10 minutes, never allowing the lead to shrink below seven. The Highlanders had been there before, however, and used a similar late-game spurt to erase a double-digit deficit and steal a regular season victory from Penn State Harrisburg in late January. History nearly repeated itself, but this time, Thomas made the play when needed and the defense closed the door to escape with the conference title.


Cairn opened the contest on a 5-0 run and led by as many as seven points at 15-8 at the 12:43 mark of the first half but Penn State Harrisburg put together a crucial 12-0 run that included 3-balls from Lucas and Moore, as well as four Reed free throws, to pull ahead 29-22 midway through the half. Elija Eccleston added a pair of free throws and Reed knocked down two more from the stripe to give the visitors an eight-point edge at the break.


NOTABLES
- The most recent United East Championship is Penn State Harrisburg's fourth all-time and fourth conference title since the 2019-20 season. 
- During the conference playoff run, Penn State Harrisburg's top-ranked defense held the United East's top three scoring offenses below their season averages by a combined 22.3 points per
game.
- The Lions held Cairn to 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent shooting from 3-point range despite the Highlanders getting off 40 attempts from beyond the arc.
- Penn State Harrisburg shot 45.8 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from distance and 76.9 percent from the foul line.
- Penn State Harrisburg's bench outscored the Cairn reserves 28-18. 
- Spencer netted a dozen points and grabbed five rebounds en route to earning United East Tournament MVP honors. 
- Henderson tallied a team-high 15 points and five rebounds. 
- Moore finished with 14 points and three boards. 
- Lucas knocked down a trio of 3-balls and netted 13 off the bench to go along with three assists. 
- Reed added a dozen points and finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line off the bench.
- Thomas converted the game winner and added four boards, three assists and two steals. 


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions await the announcement of their NCAA Tournament destination and opponent. Both will be revealed during the men's basketball selection show on NCAA.com on Monday afternoon.


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