Middletown, Pa. (Dec. 1, 2024) - Alvernia University (4-1) used a 40 point second half to take the 69-68 win over Penn State Harrisburg (2-5) on Sunday evening in non-conference men's basketball action at Harrisburg.

The Golden Wolves trailed by five, 34-29, at the half after being held to just 8-for-25 from the field in the opening 20 minutes compared to Penn State's 13-for-24 shooting in the first half. Alvernia then came out of the half and tied the game within the first two and a half minutes - sparking 11 lead changes throughout the second half. Alvernia then took the lead for good on a Jacob Stoudt layup with 5:23 to play. Alvernia then held off the Lions the rest of the way for the 69-68 win.

How it Happened

• After a slow start by both sides, a putback layup from Elijah Hamilton marked the first points of the game after 2:14 of action. The Lions tied it up a minute later and took the early 3-2 lead on a free throw. 
• The slow start continued from there with Penn State holding just a 5-2 lead through five minutes of action. Alvernia evened it at 5-5 on an Robert Cottrell 3-pointer, but the Lions retook the lead with another three on their next possession.
• The Golden Wolves and Lions tied it twice more over the next two four minutes before Penn State took a 12-10 lead with 11:15 to play in the half. Penn State held the lead for the remainder of the half, and led by as much as 11 with 1:30 to play. A series of made free throws and a Stoudt 3-pointer made it a five point game, 34-29, going into the half. 
• An Elijah Hamilton putback layup once again opened the half for the Golden Wolves and brought Alvernia within a possession, 34-31. The Golden Wolves brought it within one on a layup from Cottrell, and he drew the foul for the three-point play. Cottrell converted the free throw to tie the game at 34-34 with 17:48 to play.
• The Golden Wolves and Lions traded the lead nine times over the next seven minutes, with Penn State holding the 49-47 lead as the second half approached its midpoint. Penn State extended its lead to five, 52-47, with 9:52 to play. But, Alvernia worked its way back once again with made free throws by Kareem Diaz and Elijah Hamilton to make it a 52-50 game with 9:02 to go. Alvernia then retook the lead, 53-52, on a Stoudt 3-pointer, but Penn State took it back once again with a 3-pointer of its own with 7:23 to play.
• Alvernia tied it at 55-55 with a pair of made free throws by Janye Stanley with 7:05 to play. Then, after a nearly two minute stretch of no scoring, Study hit his go-ahead layup with 5:23 to play to give Alvernia the lead for good, 57-55.
• Alvernia pushed its lead to six, 63-57, on a Cottrell layup with 2:14 to play. But, Penn State would not go away. The Lions got within a possession, 63-60, on a 3-pointer with 1:48 to play and stayed within a possession the rest of the way. 
• Penn State then threatened Alvernia's lead one last time with a 3-pointer to get within one, 69-68, with four seconds to play. Alvernia was sent to the free throw line to seal the game with three free throw opportunities. But, Alvernia missed all three, and Penn State collected the final rebound. But, the Lions ran out of time as Alvernia took the 69-68 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Robert Cottrell and Elijah Hamilton each finished with 18 points for the Golden Wolves. 10 of Hamilton's 18 points came from 10-for-12 shooting from the free throw line. Hamilton also had a team-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.
• Jacob Stoudt finished with 14 points and was 4-for-7 from three point range.

Up Next

• Today marked the start of a three-game week for the Golden Wolves. Alvernia is home on Wednesday against Gwynedd Mercy before heading back on the road on Saturday to Misericordia.