Box Score Abington, Pa. - The Penn State Abington men's basketball squad was able to pull away from Penn State Lehigh valley in the second half to earn their second victory of the season. The Nittany Lions defeated Lehigh Valley by a final score of 96-66, with Mike Marvin leading the team with 20 points on the afternoon.
 
Although Lehigh Valley is only in their second year as a full-time varsity basketball program, the visitors were actually able to control the opening minutes of the first half. In what was a foul-filled affair the entire afternoon, Lehigh Valley was able to outscore the Abington squad early, and by the 11:06 mark, the visitors had opened up a seven point lead, 16-9. From this point on, however, Abington was able to bow up and start making shots.
 
A layup from junior RJ Handy at the 7:56 mark tied the game at 16 apiece, and from there, the teams traded baskets and empty possessions for several minutes. Finally, with 15 seconds left in the half, sophomore Mike Marvin got fouled as he made a layup. The traditional three-point play gave the Nittany Lions a 5 point lead headed to the locker room, with the score at 39-34 in favor of Penn State Abington.
 
This brief respite did nothing to deter the will of Penn State Lehigh Valley (0-8, 0-3 PSUAC). The halftime adjustments of Penn State Abington did not immediately have any effect, as Lehigh Valley was actually able to come back and retake the lead at the 17:59 mark. It would be the last time, however, that Penn State Abington would let the lead slip away. For the last 17 minutes of play, the home Blue and White put on an offensive clinic that gave Abington their second straight victory.
 
A layup by Marvin put Abington ahead by 10 points at the 14:02 mark. A set of free throws by junior Kyle Battell pushed the lead to 14. The margin hovered around the 10-15 point mark until the 7:18 mark, when a jumper from sophomore Darien Mitchell put Abington ahead 80-60. Then, a fast break layup from junior Ken Watson made the lead 25 points.
 
When all was said and done, the Penn State Abington Nittany Lions had closed the game on a 55-23 run to finish with a 96-66 victory. The Blue and White got another double-double effort out of Marvin, who netted 20 points and pulled down 19 rebounds. Kyle Battell, Max Alton, and Darien Mitchell also all got into the double figures for Abington. Lloyd Irons and Steven Reeves each tallied double-doubles of their own for Penn State Lehigh Valley.
 
Penn State Abington (2-5, 0-0 NEAC) will try to push their winning streak to three games when they hit the court again next Thursday. The Nittany Lions will face off against Penn State Brandywine at 8 pm. Be sure to check in at abingtonsports.com for all your Penn State Abington Nittany Lions updates.