Box Score Abington, Pa. – The Penn State Abington Nittany Lions took control early against Lancaster Bible and held off any late charges by the Chargers, strolling to a much-needed 78-66 NEAC victory on Wednesday night. Sophomore Mike Marvin led all scorers with 22 points, and the win helps keep Abington only one game back on the loss side from division-leading Penn State Berks.
 
Lancaster Bible (2-15, 2-7) actually held a lead early on in the affair. Penn State Abington won the opening tip, but the Chargers immediately stole the ball away and sank a jumper. After trading several possessions back and forth, Lancaster Bible held a 7-4 lead. The Nittany Lions were not to be denied long, however, and with the next two baskets from the Blue and White, Lancaster Bible saw their first and only lead of the game slip away. Sophomore Max Alton hit a three-point basket before a Lancaster Bible turnover got the ball right back into his hands, and the scoring-minded guard knew exactly what to do with it. At the 16:33 mark of the first half, another Alton jumper gave Abington their first lead, one they would not lose for the rest of the game.
 
Although the Chargers tied the game on their subsequent possession, the Nittany Lions (6-12, 4-3 NEAC) never let the visitors back ahead, and in fact started opening up a large margin on their opponent in the next minutes. A traditional three-point play off a jumper and a free throw by Mike Marvin capped a ten-point run that gave Abington a 19-9 lead with 12:51 to play in the half. Lancaster Bible managed to cut the Nittany Lions' lead to as little as six points at various times in the half, but as halftime hit, Penn State Abington had pulled away to a 13 point 39-26 advantage.
 
The second half was more of the same for the Nittany Lions. Right off the bat, a pair of layups from Alex Agyedu and Avery Barnes pushed Penn State Abington's lead to 17. The Nittany Lions' lead hovered between 14-17 points for the first 9 minutes of the second half, when a three-pointer from the Chargers' C.J. Dunston cut their deficit to just 55-44. Lancaster Bible continued to chip away at the Nittany Lions advantage, getting as close as nine points down with eight minutes to play. However, the Penn State Abington attack was simply too organized, and the defense too stifling, to allow the Chargers to get any closer. When the horn finally sounded to end the game, the Nittany Lions had cruised to a 78-66 victory.
 
Leading the charge on the defensive side of the ball was the forward pairing of Avery Barnes and Mike Marvin. The two sophomores combined for nine blocks on the night (with Barnes getting eight of those himself) and twelve defensive rebounds. The rest of the defense stepped up to hold Lancaster Bible to just 39% from the floor, including an abysmal 3-for-20 from behind the arc.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, Marvin led with 22 points on 10-of-13 from the field, while Alton added 17 and junior Mike Colacci chipped in 12. Barnes was very close to netting a rare triple-double, as he scored nine points, pulled down eight rebounds, and blocked eight shots. For Lancaster Bible, it was Corey Leonard leading the way with 15 points, while Keith Keltner added 13 and Jon Bird netted 10.
 
The Nittany Lions look to continue their march back up the NEAC South Division standings when they travel to Gallaudet this Saturday. The Bison currently sit in fourth place in the division, just behind Penn State Abington, with a 5-4 record in the NEAC. Game time is set for 2:00 pm in Washington, D.C., but you can get all your news and notes on the Nittany Lions right here at abingtonsports.com.