ABINGTON, PA (January 19, 2011) - Four players finished in double figures as the Penn State Berks men's basketball team defeated Penn State Abington, 83-65, in Wednesday night's North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) contest.
Berks moves to 6-9 overall and 6-4 in the conference, while Abington falls to 2-12 overall and 1-8 in the conference.
Nine different Berks players scored baskets and the Nittany Lions scorched the nets on 54.1% (33-for-61) shooting from the field. The defense upped its play, holding Abington to 32.9% shooting and just 21.9% from 3-point land.
Shawn Green, making just his third start, set season-high's with 18 points and nine rebounds. The freshman also surpassed his previous best in field goals made (seven), steals (four) and minutes played (33).
Tom Smith also netted 18 points, which tied Green and Abington's Joshua Howard for the game-high. Connor Hough added 14 points and Dontez Reid chipped in 10. Tore Turner was the only Berks starter not to finish in double digits, but he was busy handing out seven assists which matched a season-high.
Abington hung around with Berks throughout the first half and only trailed by four heading into the intermission. Green opened the second half with a 3 and a jumper, followed by a layup by Smith to give Berks a comfortable 11 point lead. The closest Abington would get the rest of the way was nine with 7:11 left in the game.
Berks dominated in the paint, outscoring Abington 50-28. They also led in points off turnovers by a 23-12 margin. One of the few categories Abington led in was rebounding, holding a 41-36 advantage.
Berks will host Valley Forge Christian in a non-conference contest on Tuesday, January 25 at 8 p.m. in Beaver Community Center. At halftime, the athletics department will hold "Awards Night" for academic and athletic honors.
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