CLARKS SUMMIT, PA. – The Penn State Abington women's basketball team needed a fourth quarter surge to come from behind and beat Clarks Summit University 69-65, on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions improve to 7-4 after tonight's win.

Reining NEAC Player of the Week Shayna Rodriguez (Philadelphia, PA) hit 25 points to lead the Nittany Lions. Seniors Brittany Keyes (Huntingdon Valley, PA) and Grace Dewey (Falls Church, Va.) also scored in the double-digits as well. Defensively Dewey recorded 11 rebounds to complete her double-double.

Keyes set the tone early in the first quarter with her shot from downtown that spurred the Nittany Lions to a 14-4 advantage.  At the five minute mark the Defenders rallied to a 15-6 run and cut the deficit, only down a point at the break.

The Defenders took their first lead of the game right out of the gate in the second period. Clarks Summit pushed their lead to seven, but Abington responded with a 14-0 swing highlighted by a pair of buckets by Rodriguez. In the final three minutes of action the Defenders closed out the half with a 12-0 run to shift momentum.

An ugly third quarter for the Nittany Lions led the Defenders to take another double-digit lead after Abington struggled to shoot from the floor.

Senior Symantha Marrero (Philadelphia, PA) hit a deep three pointer to spark the rally in the fourth quarter.  Abington tied the game in the first four minutes of action and held a slim margin. The Defenders kept fighting and the lead changed hands six times before the Nittany Lions held on for the win, thanks to clutch free-throws down the stretch.

The Nittany Lions will be back in action when they host Rutgers Camden on Monday January 8, at 6:00 p.m.