SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University women's basketball team used a big third quarter and control of the glass to take down the Penn State Abington Nittany Lions, 81-72, on Saturday afternoon at Maggs Physical Activities Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Alex Bull knocked down a three-pointer on the first shot of the game as the Sea Gulls and Nittany Lions engaged in a tight first quarter with neither side gaining a lead of more than three points.
• Down 17-14 in the final 10 seconds of the period, Tori Rumbaugh sank one-of-two free throws, then Nicole Miller stole the ensuing inbound pass and Sym Deloatch sank a layup as time expired, knotting things up at 17-17 through one.
• Amirah Hackney hit a layup and a three to give PSA a 22-17 lead in the first two minutes of the second quarter. SU eventually got even at 25-25 on a layup by Cora Shafer, but Angela Sanders' triple moments later gave the Nittany Lions control back at 28-25.
• After falling behind 32-27, the Sea Gulls closed the gap late in the period as Mackenzie Womack hit two from the line to make it 33-33. After PSA hit one-of-two at the other end, Shafer found Rumbaugh from 12 feet inside the arc, and Rumbaugh tickled the twine at the buzzer to give SU a 35-34 lead heading into halftime.
• The Sea Gulls came out firing on all cylinders to open the third quarter. Shafer hit a pair of free throws, then Bull hit a jumper and converted a four-point play moments later. Bull and Miller sank back-to-back treys to make it a 14-0 run and a 49-34 lead at the 7:21 mark.
• SU led by as many as 18 at 64-46, but PSA responded with a seven-point run to get back within 64-53 with 1:28 to go. The Sea Gulls answered with a Shafer layup and Miller triple to push the lead back to 69-53 at the end of the third.
• PSA buckled down and went on its own run early in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 in a row over four and a half minutes to slim the deficit down to seven. Layla Reid's layup at the 3:37 mark cut the SU advantage to 73-66.
• Salisbury stabilized as Kayla Nieberlein drained a layup with 2:51 to go, sparking an 8-0 run over the next two minutes that rebuilt the lead to 81-66. The Nittany Lions scored the final six points but it was too little, too late as the Sea Gulls held on for the 81-72 margin of victory.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Alex Bull netted a career-high 24 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-7 from deep. She also hauled in eight rebounds in just 25 minutes of action.
• Cora Shafer recorded her first career double-double with 16 points (6-of-14) and a season-high 14 rebounds over 26 minutes on the floor.
• Kayla Nieberlein chipped in 12 points (4-of-8) and narrowly missed her own double-double with nine boards.
• Nicole Miller scored 10 points with three assists and three steals, while Sym Deloatch added seven points off the bench.
• The Sea Gulls shot 35.6 percent (26-of-73) for the game and went 24-of-31 (77.4 percent) from the charity stripe. SU converted on 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) field goals during a 34-point third quarter.
• Salisbury outrebounded the Nittany Lions 53-38, including 17-6 on the offensive glass.

PENN STATE ABINGTON GAME NOTES

• Angela Sanders led a balanced Nittany Lion attack with 15 points (7-of-15), plus six rebounds and two steals.
• Amirah Hackney chipped in 14 points with 12 rebounds and two blocks.
• Layla Reid came off the bench for 14 points, shooting 6-of-9.
• The Lions shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the floor, going 6-of-15 (40 percent) from long range but just 8-of-21 (38.1 percent) from the line.
• PSA won the turnover battle 23-21.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will return to action at the Misericordia Tournament next Friday and Saturday in Dallas, Pa.
• SU will battle Messiah on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing Misericordia on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.