ABINGTON, Pa. – To open the New Year the Penn State Abington men's basketball team held a 42-36 advantage at the half. However the Nittany Lions couldn't hold on against North Carolina Wesleyan as they dropped a close game, 84-75, Saturday afternoon.

Abington is still searching for its first win of the season as they fell to 0-8 after the loss.

The Battling Bishops held an early 10-3 lead at the 16 minute mark, but sophomore Spencer Bartron (Camden, Del.) kicked the Nittany Lions into gear and sparked eight-point swing with a shot from downtown.

Consecutive lay-ups by senior Devin Jones (Philadelphia, Pa.) gave the Nittany Lions an eight point lead and his three-point shot from the arc capped an 11-2 run for Abington.

A late push by the Battling Bishops brought the gap to three, but Bartron's three pointer punctuated the Ntitany Lions best half of the season.

In the fast-paced second half, North Carolina Wesleyan took the lead with 14:34 on the clock.  The lead would change hands over the next minutes, with freshman Momolu Dorley's (Trenton, NJ) layup tying the game 54-54, with ten minutes remaining.

The Battling Bishops would hold a slight advantage until senior Yusef Savage (Philadelphia, Pa.) gave the Nittany Lions a 65-64 lead.

With five minutes remaining Bartron gave the Nittany Lions hope when he hit another three pointer to level the game. The Nittany Lions only trailed by two points in the final two minutes of the game, but clutch shooting from the line for the Battling Bishops gave them the edge.

Jones led all scorers with 19 points, and Savage, Bartron and Dorley chipped in 16 points each.

The Nittany Lions will continue their home stand when they host NEAC rival Gallaudet on Tuesday January 5, at 1:00 p.m.