Box Score Center Valley, Pa. - The Nittany Lions men's basketball squad held a lead halfway through the second half in today's game against Drew University, but couldn't hold on. The Rangers pulled away to an 81-74 victory in the closing minutes of the consolation game of the Red Robin Holiday Tournament hosted by DeSales University.
 
The game began as a tightly contested affair, with both sides trading blows early on. The score remained close until deep into the first half, when Penn State Abington started to open up a wider lead. With Drew leading 24-22, it was junior Mike Colacci who started it off for the Nittany Lions, hitting a three-pointer at the 6:31 mark to put Penn State Abington ahead by two. Another three-ball, this time from sophomore Kyle Battell, extended the lead to four before a jumper and two free-throws from sophomore Mike Marvin made it eight. This would be the largest lead of the half for either side, however, as Drew would close on a 17-10 run to make the halftime score 42-41 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
 
The second half would open with another push from Penn State Abington (2-9, 0-0 NEAC) to try to widen the margin. Twice in the opening ten minutes of the second frame, the Nittany Lions were able to run ahead by as much as six points. The Rangers, however, were able to keep in close enough contact to keep the game tight, and when the 10:00 mark hit, Drew made their run. Five straight baskets from the Rangers saw a 57-57 game turn into a 68-57 deficit for the Nittany Lions. Penn State Abington would not give up the fight that easily though.
 
A 13-2 run from the Nittany Lions knotted the score right back up at 70 points apiece. It started with a three-pointer from sophomore Max Alton, followed by another three from Colacci. Several made free throws sprinkled in over the next minutes, and a jumper in the paint from sophomore Darien Mitchell at the 1:42 mark put both sides back on level terms.
 
Unfortunately for the Blue and White, Drew University (5-6, 0-0 Landmark) simply got all the breaks in the final moments. The Rangers made a jumper on their next possession, and followed a Nittany Lion turnover with a pair of made free throws. Behind by four, Penn State Abington could not find the basket, and were forced to continue to foul. Drew made all their free throws late, and by the end the Rangers pulled out an 81-74 victory.
 
Mike Marvin led all scorers with 28 points on the afternoon, and 12 rebounds gave him yet another double-double. The Nittany Lions also got 12 points from Colacci and 10 each from Mitchell and Alton. Drew was led by junior guard Luke Glass, who poured in 20 points for the Rangers.
 
The Nittany Lions close out their non-conference season on a four-game losing streak, but have an immediate and much more important opportunity to overcome that as they open NEAC conference play on Saturday, January 5^th against visiting SUNY Cobleskill. Game time is set for 4 p.m.