Abington Edged by Messiah in Double Overtime, 80-77

Carl Kosola

Box Score

Penn St.-Abington PSA 1-1,0-0 United East

Messiah Mess 2-0,0-0 MAC Commonwealth

Penn St.-Abington PSA

1-1,0-0 United East

Final

Nov. 11, 2022

Messiah Mess

2-0,0-0 MAC Commonwealth

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	OT 1	OT 2	F
Penn St.-Abington PSA	19	37	14	7	77
Messiah Mess	25	31	14	10	80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/11/2022 12:00:00 AM

Next Game:

vs. Misericordia University

11/12/2022 | 1:00 p.m.

Next Game

Full Schedule

Nov. 12 (Sat) / 1:00 p.m.

vs. Misericordia University

History

Recap
Roster

Grantham, Pa. – The Penn State Abington men's basketball team fell short in double-overtime as the Nittany Lions were defeated by Messiah University, 80-77, on day one of the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night at Hitchcock Arena.

Score: Messiah 80, Penn State Abington 77
Records: Penn State Abington (1-1, 0-0 UEC) | Messiah (2-0, MAC Commonwealth)
Location: Grantham, Pa. (Hitchcock Arena)

How It Happened

* Messiah controlled the game early on as the Falcons opened with a 14-2 over the first eight-plus minutes of action. Abington would eventually cut the deficit down to one point after junior Darrion Harris converted a pair of free throws to make the score 16-15 at the 4:37 mark. However, the Falcons would hold on to the lead and take a 25-19 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

* Abington caught up to the Falcons early in the second half and grabbed its first lead of the game after Harris drained a three-pointer to give the Nittany Lions a 32-30 lead. Harris' three-pointer jump started a 13-1 which led to a double-digit lead for Abington. Senior Isaac Kennon capped the run with a jumper to make the score 42-31 at 11:59.

* Messiah chipped away at the Abington lead and would go on to tie the game at 52-52 when Tyler Penley scored a layup with 1:44 to play. Senior Brian Randolph III broke the tie with a pair of free throws and then on the team's next possession a layup basket by Kennon made the score 56-52 with :25 seconds remaining.

* Over the final :22 seconds of regulation Messiah went 4-of-4 from the free throw line to force overtime. Abington had an opportunity to win in regulation but a shot at the buzzer fell short.

* In the first overtime period, Abington scored the first five points before an 8-2 run by Messiah gave the Falcons a 64-63 lead at the 2:40 mark. A three-point play by Harris gave the Nittany Lions the lead again at 66-64 with a minute left. With :13 seconds remaining, Harris made another two free throws to give Abington a four-point lead at 70-66. However, Messiah's Caleb Lyles tied the game at 70-70 after draining a three-pointer followed by a free throw as he was fouled on the play.

* Abington opened the second overtime just as they did the first overtime period with a 5-0 run. Messiah responded with a quick 5-0 run of its own to tie the game at 2:41. Harris gave the Nittany Lions the lead after making a pair of free throws to make the score 77-75. With :40 seconds left in the period, Messiah's Bryce Coletti drained a three-pointer to give the Falcons a 78-77 advantage. On the ensuing possession, the Messiah defense forced a turnover and as a result the Nittany Lions quickly fouled. Coletti made both free throw attempts for the Falcons to increase the lead to 80-77. Abington, with :11 seconds left on the clock, had a potential game-tying three-pointer come up short at the buzzer.

Inside the Box Score

* Harris led all scorers with a career-high 29 points. He converted a near perfect 11-of-12 from the free throw line.

* Kennon also set a career-high as he finished with 17 points to go along with five rebounds.

* Randolph totaled a season-high 17 points and 13 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.

* Senior Alex Podolski added eight points and seven rebounds.

* For Messiah, Coletti finished with a team-high 22 points. Dylan Cuperus (16 pts | 10 rebs) and Penley (10 pts | 13 rebs) each recorded a double-double.

All-Time Series
Tonight marked the first-ever meeting between Abington and Messiah.

Next Up
Abington returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 12 as the Nittany Lions wrap up the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament in the Consolation Game against Misericordia University. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

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