ABINGTON, PA. – It came down to the wire once again for the Penn State Abington men's basketball team, but this time the Nittany Lions scored an 89-86 win over Gallaudet on Wednesday night.  The Nittany Lions improve to 3-2 overall and open up conference play with a win at 1-0.
 
Sophomore Pernell Ghee (Germantown, PA) dominated again with 23 points leading the Nittany Lions and finished the night with a double-double after he earned 10 rebounds. Right behind sophomore Devin Hill (Philadelphia, PA) went for an incredible 7-of-10 from three, and finished with 22 points.  Freshman Charles Ervin (Quakertown, PA) made his presence known with 11 assists only one shy of tying the single game record.
 
It was a sluggish five minutes in the beginning of the first half for the Nittany Lions with the Bison taking a 13-5 lead.  Abington rallied ahead thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Ghee and Hill. Junior Bobby Olsen (Florida, NY) gave the Nittany Lions the lead from his tough points in the paint. The lead changed hands six times over the next few minutes, but the Bison held the slim advantage with three minutes remaining. Hill drained a three-ball late in the half, but Gallaudet held a 41-38 lead at the break.
 
In the second half the Nittany Lions went on a 20-7 tear to go up 60-52 after incredible shooting from behind the arc.  Sophomore Jay Fitzgerald (Philadelphia, PA) pushed the lead to 13 after he joined in on the action with a shot from downtown.  The Nittany Lions looked to be in control in the second half, but the Bison chipped away at the lead and were within striking distance with two minutes on the clock. The Nittany Lions couldn't secure the win after missing their late free throws and Gallaudet had the ball down 87-84 with 20 seconds on the clock. The Bison heaved a desperate three, to tie the game, but the Nittany Lions committed the foul and sent them to the line to shoot three. Abington breathed a sigh of relief after the Bison only hit two of their three free throws.  Fitzgerald earned a clutch steal from the Gallaudet to seal away the game for the Nittany Lions.
 
Abington will continue their conference slate when they host Penn College at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.