The second half proved to be the difference as, after a deadlock at the break, Lancaster Bible College recorded a 71-61, United East Conference victory over host Penn State Abington.

The Nittany Lions (8-8, 2-5) had an impressive showing defense early on, holding the Chargers (10-6, 6-1) to just 36.3 percent shooting from the field during the first half. Lancaster Bible was also unable to complete a single three-pointer during the first half, missing all seven attempts from beyond the arc.

Penn State Abington capitalized on this, taking a five-point lead past the midway point of the opening stanza thanks to a 9-0 run. It was sparked by a trey from Dan Prior and Darrion Harris then followed it up, scoring five consecutive points. The teams went back and forth for the half and finished tied at 32-32 at the intermission.

Lancaster Bible scored the first five points of the second half and never trailed the rest of the way. The Nittany Lions battled back on multiple occasions and tied the scored at 45-45 after Brian Randolph III connected from downtown with 12:17 remaining. The Chargers scored 11 of the next 13 points, before Penn State Abington countered with a 6-0 spurt – four from Alex Salata III and two from Alex Podolski for a 56-53 score with 6:37 left. However, Lancaster Bible put the contest away with a 13-4 run.

Harris led the Nittany Lions with 19 points and added four rebounds and four assists. Salata III came off the bench to pour in 10 points in 16 minutes of action. Randolph III scored seven points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Chargers were paced by Grant Sareyka's 19 points while Jordan Shewbridge and Adam Stoltzfus added 14 and 12 points respectively.

Penn State Abington will hit the road for a pair of United East games this weekend. The Nittany Lions will first meet St. Mary's College of Maryland on Friday, January 28 before heading to Washington, D.C. to battle Gallaudet University the next day.