ABINGTON, PA. – The Penn State Abington men's basketball team hosted Clarks Summit University and smothered the Defenders in an 80-45 win on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions move back into the win column with a 3-2 record for the season.
Junior Alex Podolski led the Nittany Lions again this season hitting 20 points and 10 boards for a double-double while chipping in five assists and three steals. Sophomore Darrion Harris put in a career high 14 points and senior Mohamed Mansaray hit 12 points for Abington.
The Nittany Lions held the defenders to 45 points which is the lowest they've allowed since February 2020 against Lancaster Bible. Abington's defense only allowed 25 percent shooting from the floor and a dismal 6 percent from behind the arc.
The Defenders would strike first in the first half, but Abington would take the lead after five minutes and wouldn't give it up. Over the next 10 minutes Abington would go on a 23-1 run thanks to their ability to draw fouls. The Nittany Lions scored 7 of their 23 points at the stripe and completely shut down the defenders forcing nine turnovers. Freshman Dan prior would knock down a three ball to give the Nittany Loins a huge 34-8 lead with only a few minutes left on the clock. Going into the break the Nittany Lions held a commanding 40-14 advantage over Clarks Summit.
The Defenders started to chip away at the lead after some early points in the paint, but Alex Salata III shifted momentum back in the Nittany Lions favor with a huge shot from behind the arc. Clarks Summit shot better in the second half, but the Nittany Lions kept the pace and extended their lead to 31 points after another shot from downtown by Mansaray. The Nittany Lions continued to cruise and another three-ball from Mansaray put the Nittany Lions up 70-31. In the second half the lead was never in doubt and the Nittany Lions picked up their third win of the season.
Abington will look to keep momentum going when they travel to Marywood for the Electric City Classic facing off Penn State Altoona in the first round on Friday night at 8:00 p.m.
