BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – A stifling defense for the Penn State Abington women's basketball team helped them earn a 58-51 win over Bryn Athyn on Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions improve to 9-6 after the win, and 4-3 in the conference.

Junior guard Shayna Rodriguez (Philadelphia, PA) knocked down 23 points to lead all scorers, while senior center Grace Dewey (Falls Church, Va.) scooped 11 rebounds off the boards.

The Nittany Lions defense kept the Lions off balance in the first quarter. Abington held the hosts to only six points for the entire period, but the Nittany Lions struggled to pull ahead with costly turnovers.

The Game opened up in the second period, and Bryn Athyn tied the game after a 7-0 run. Abington held a small lead over Bryn Athyn thanks to Symantha Marrero's (Philadelphia, PA) six point quarter that helped maintain the advantage. With two minutes left the Lions tied the game again, but Rodriguez shifted momentum, when she drained two shots from behind the arc, right before the half.

Leading 31-25 at the start of the third period, a 7-3 run helped the Nittany Lions push their lead to double digits with six minutes left on the clock. Bryn Athyn slowly chipped away at the lead and Abington's lead shrank to four points by the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter the Nittany Lions defense clamped down on Bryn Athyn and capitalized on the boards scoring points in the paint to hold on.

The Nittany Lions will host Penn State Berks for their White Out game on Tuesday January 23, at 8:00 p.m.