SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University women's basketball team won its sixth straight game, closing on a 17-11 push to bounce the Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions, 70-64, on Saturday afternoon at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.
The two sides boxed evenly through the beginning of the first quarter. Tied 11-11 at the 3:42 mark, the Sea Gulls put together a 7-0 run on a
Nicole Miller triple,
Tori Rumbaugh second-chance layup, and
Alex Bull scoop-and-score layup to take an 18-11 lead. The Lions immediately got six of those back in the period's final minute, using a Sam Shaak three to get within 18-17 at the end of the first.
The second quarter was just as evenly matched, with Harrisburg going up 31-28 at the 4:37 mark. SU then started hitting the mark from distance, with
Abby Plaugher knocking down back-to-back treys and Bull hitting one of her own to make it 37-31 with 1:55 until the break. The Lions got one more bucket to shave the margin to 37-33 at the half.
In the third quarter, Harrisburg again steadied up and drew even on three occasions at 42-42, 44-44, and 46-46. Miller broke the latest deadlock with a three, followed by a
Jen Juhring fastbreak layup that made it 51-46 at the 1:23 mark. The Lions capped the period with one-of-two from the free throw line, making it 51-47 headed into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter featured yet another back-and-forth opening, with the Lions knotting it up at 53-53 on a Jordan Carpenter layup with 6:44 to go. On the other end of the court, Bull found
Remy Tolar down low to put the Sea Gulls back up, then Bull and Miller nailed a pair from long range to give SU a 61-53 lead. After spotting the Lions a bucket,
Kayla Nieberlein converted a layup and Juhring knocked one down from outside, capping a 13-2 run to give Salisbury its largest lead at 66-55 with 3:22 remaining.
The Lions would whittle the margin down to 68-64 inside the final minute, but two Miller free throws iced it for the Sea Gulls, 70-64.
GAME NOTES
- Nicole Miller led all scorers with a season-high 23 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-7 from three-point range. She also registered one rebound, two assists, and two steals.
- Kayla Nieberlein poured in 15 points (6-of-8) with five rebounds.
- Alex Bull stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and six steals.
- Abby Plaugher muscled her way to nine points off the bench, while Remy Tolar added eight.
- The Sea Gulls shot 45.6 percent from the floor (26-of-57) and made a season-high 11-of-25 (44 percent) from distance, plus 7-of-10 (70 percent) from the charity stripe.
- The Lions outrebounded SU 35-34, including 11-9 on the offensive glass.
- Salisbury assisted on 19 of its 26 field goals, with Tori Rumbaugh matching Bull for a team-high six helpers.
- SU forced 22 Harrisburg turnovers, winning the giveaway battle by one.
The Sea Gulls will play away from home for the next three games, starting on Wednesday evening at Drew. Opening tip from Madison, N.J. is set for 6 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 201 conference championships, and have produced 50 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.
