Box Score Middletown, Pa. - Ultimately, all good things must come to an end, and that was the case earlier this afternoon for the Penn State Abington men's basketball teams. The Nittany Lions, who brought an 8-game winning streak into today's game against rival Penn State Harrisburg, lost in depressing fashion by a score of 104-73. Sophomore Avery Barnes led with 20 points for Abington, who, on the positive side, have still clinched a playoff spot in next weekend's NEAC tournament.
 
Although Penn State Harrisburg (11-14, 8-6 NEAC) took the lead off the opening tip, Abington was actually in control for much of the first ten minutes of the game. Starting at the 15:52 mark of the first half, Abington went on a 7-0 run to take an early 18-12 lead. Barnes got it started with a layup in the paint, assisted by R.J. Handy. After a Harrisburg timeout and turnover, it was Mike Colacci who converted an old-fashioned three-point play, scoring a layup and making a free-throw after being fouled in the process. Kyle Battell finished the mini-run off with yet another layup to put the Nittany Lions up six.
 
Abington (12-13, 10-4 NEAC) held onto their six point lead until 13:54 remained in the half, at which point things began to get quickly out of hand. In just four minutes, Harrisburg turned their six-point deficit into a six-point lead. Then, with 6:32 left to play in the period, Harrisburg earned their first double-digit lead at 39-28. Abington managed to get back within five points in the period, but Harrisburg shut the door once again, and with a last-second bucket by Arick Sodini, the central-PA rivals opened up a 15-point lead over Abington going into halftime.
 
A jumper from Max Alton coming out of the break cut Abington's deficit to 13, but on this night, Harrisburg was not to be caught. With 15:03 left to play in the game, Harrisburg took their first 20-point lead of the game. By the 7:09 mark, Harrisburg was up 30. Ultimately in their 31-point victory, Harrisburg simply outshot Abington. The home Nittany Lions shot 57.1% from the floor, including a sizzling 10-for-15 from beyond the arc. With Abington stuck at just 39.2% from the floor, including a frigid 18.2% from three, there was really no chance for Abington to make any comeback in the game.
 
Barnes led the Nittany Lions with 20 points, while Handy added 17 and Colacci poured in 14. Harrisburg had five players score in double-digits, including Thristan Lundy, who led all scorers with 21 total points. With the Abington loss, and a Berks win earlier today, Abington falls to second place in the NEAC South Division, but still clinch a playoff spot. Check back in here at abingtonsports.com for all the updates on the Nittany Lions postseason progress, including an update on Abington's next game.