Men's basketball celebrating
65
Lancaster Bible LBCM1112 5-12, 3-7 NEAC
66
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM1112 4-11, 4-5 NEAC
Lancaster Bible LBCM1112
5-12, 3-7 NEAC
65
Final
66
Penn State Berks PSBM1112
4-11, 4-5 NEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lancaster Bible LBCM1112 28 37 65
Penn State Berks PSBM1112 29 37 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Nittany Lions hold off Lancaster Bible in thriller

READING, PA - Connor Hough's layup with 19 seconds remaining gave the Penn State Berks men's basketball team a critical 66-65 victory over Lancaster Bible College in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) contest on Saturday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions improved to 4-11 overall and 4-5 in the NEAC Southern Division, while the Chargers fell to 5-12 overall and 3-7 in the conference. With five conference games remaining on the schedule, Berks has little room for error to earn a trip to the postseason. Penn State Harrisburg (7-0) leads the division, followed by Gallaudet University (7-3) and Penn State Abington (4-4). The top two teams of each division will receive a playoff berth and the third place team with the best record from either division will earn the final playoff spot.

Hough led the Nittany Lions with a career-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting. The forward has turned up his play on the offensive end as of late, scoring in double-figures in five of the last seven games.

Hough's last second heroics were a showcase of his athleticism. Jeff Schmidt fired a pass from beyond midcourt to Hough running along the baseline. Hough caught the pass at his feet underneath the basket and instantly leapt up with a reverse lay in to give Berks the victory.

The Chargers grabbed the lead just before Hough's basket on a pair of free throws by Erich Graybill with 28 seconds remaining. The second half featured five tied scores and eight lead changes, the largest lead being six points in Berks' favor.

Dontez Reid caught fire when the Nittany Lions needed him the most, dropping 13 of his 16 points in the second half. Reid hit a 3 pointer give Berks a 41-39 lead, but the Chargers countered with a jumper by Darrell Epps on the next play. Reid responded with another 3 to put the Nittany Lions up 44-41. The junior guard's last trey gave Berks a six point lead with under four minutes remaining.

Tom Smith recorded nine points and a contest-high eight rebounds, six of which were on the offensive end. He also added four steals and four assists. Schmidt also turned in a great all around performance with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Michael Porter made just one basket, but it gave the Nittany Lions the lead and confidence heading into halftime. With 1.4 seconds remaining in the first half, Porter beat the buzzer with a three from corner to put Berks in front 29-28.

Epps shot 3-for-5 from long distance and finished with a team-leading 20 points. Andrew Risser added 14 points and Madison Warfel chipped in 11.

The Nittany Lions will host Alvernia University in a non-conference contest on Monday, January 30 at 7 p.m.

 
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