OWINGS MILLS, MD – In the opening game of the Buffalo Wild Wings Classic at Stevenson University the Penn State Abington men's basketball team fell to the Merchant Marine Academy, 84-72 on Friday night.  The Nittany Lions drop to 2-7 after the non-conference loss.

Freshman Pernell Ghee (Germantown, PA) led the Nittany Lions for the second straight game with 17 points, and right behind junior forward Jordan Lomax (West Haven, CT) hit another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Mariners opened the game with two shots from the three-point line, but a five point run from Ghee tied the game in the first minutes of action.  Each team traded the lead, but the Nittany Lions were able to take the advantage thanks to a clutch shooting from Devin Hill (Philadelphia, PA).  Neither team could pull away staying within a three point margin, but a steal from Hill and easy fast break layup helped widen the gap with only a minute remaining.  At the half, Abington held a small 36-33 lead over the Mariners.

A quick 12-0 run for the USMMA gave them to a double-digit lead in the first four minutes of the second half.  The Nittany Lions shot over 50 percent in the second half from the floor, but it wasn't enough to make the difference, as the Mariners outlasted the Nittany Lions.

Abington will be back in action tomorrow when they face off against either Medgar Evers or Stevenson University at a time to be announced in the final game of the Buffalo Wild Wings Classic.