Morristown, NJ- The Penn St. Berks Men's Basketball Team overcame a 19-point first half deficit, but were not able to hold off a late push by Saint Elizabeth, falling to the Eagles by a score of 82-75 on Tuesday, January 14.

The Lions (4-10 Overall, 3-4 UE) took an early lead as Marquis Ferreira drilled a 3-pointer to make the score 7-6. The teams traded early runs with the Eagles (6-10 Overall, 4-3 UE) holding a 22-16 advantage midway through the opening half. Kai Davis kept the Lions within striking distance, swishing a pair of jump shots. Saint Elizabeth began to take control, hitting seven times from beyond the arc. Trailing by 19 with just under three minutes remaining in the half, the Lions began to battle back. Josh Mingledolph kicked off the rally by draining a 3-pointer. After a layup by Andre Ballard, Davis struck again, knocking down a 3-pointer from the wing. Ballard closed out the first half by hitting another 3-pointer, but Berks trailed 46-37 at the break.

The Eagles regained their momentum early in the second half, opening on a 6-0 run to push their lead back to double digits. Ballard halted the run, coming away with a steal and score. Kai Davis added a pair of layups and a 3-pointer bringing Berks back within 10 points. Berks continued to chip away, with back-to-back layups by Jaedon Mast lowering the deficit to seven with 13 minutes remaining in the game. The Lions raised their energy on the defensive end, forcing several turnovers resulting in easy layups for Isaiah Cotten, Davis and Mast, with Mast cutting the deficit down to one with nine minutes remaining. Cotten then corralled an offensive rebound and found a cutting Ballard for a layup that put the Blue & White ahead 66-65. After a basket by the Eagles, Mast beat the shot clock, hitting a jumper to put the Lions back ahead by one. After Saint Elizabeth rattled off four straight points, Cotten hit a long jump shot, keeping Berks within a point. Berks was unable to recapture the lead as Saint Elizabeth score nine-straight points, eventually earning them an 82-75 victory.

Mast led the way for the Lions, racking up 20 points on 8-9 shooting. Ballard finished the night with 19 points while hauling in a team-high seven rebounds. Davis made an impact off the bench, scoring 14 points and hitting twice from beyond the arc.

WHO'S NEXT
The Lions will return home and host Rosemont College as part of Military Appreciation Day on Saturday, Jan. 18. The tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM.

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