Box Score

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg opened a first-half lead, then took control of the contest down the stretch to collect a 71-60 victory over The University of Scranton men's basketball team on Saturday in non-conference action.

With the loss, Scranton dropped to 4-5 overall, while Penn State Harrisburg improved to 9-1 with the victory.

It was a back and forth affair to start, with both teams holding the lead throughout the first half. Action, however, came to a pass with four minutes left in the half after a three-pointer by senior Jackson Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) sliced a Penn State Harrisburg lead to two points at 34-32.

From there on out in the first half, the Lions controlled play, as they outscored Scranton, 8-2, in the final few minutes of the first half to take a 42-34 lead into intermission.

Out of the halftime break, however, Scranton came out strong, as they took a 48-47 lead with 16 minutes left a lay-up by junior Stephen Braunstein (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy). But, the lead for the Royals was short-lived, as a 9-0 Penn State Harrisburg run put the Lions back up, 56-48, with 8:54 to go in regulation.

The long scoreless stretch for the Royals proved to be costly in the end, as the closest they came to the Penn State Harrisburg lead the rest of the way was four points (58-54 with five minutes left), as the Lions eventually opened an insurmountable 67-56 lead with 2:56 left. From there, Penn State Harrisburg salted the game away at the foul line to coast to an 11-point victory over Scranton in the first meeting all-time between the schools.

Leading Scranton in the defeat was Danzig, who scored a team-high 21 points, marking the fifth time on the year he has tallied at least 20 points in a game. It is also the sixth time (and third straight game overall) that he has led the Royals in scoring, as the senior guard pulled down 10 rebounds in the defeat to post his second straight double-double. 

Elsewhere, junior Ryan Ems (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) finished with a season-high 18 points and six rebounds, while Braunstein ended the afternoon with 11 points.

Penn State Harrisburg was led by Donyae Baylor-Carroll, who finished with a game-high 27 points.

The University of Scranton men's basketball team now takes a week off for final exams and returns to action on Monday, Dec. 20, when they take on Cabrini in the John Long Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

--ROYALS--