MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – The Notre Dame of Maryland men's basketball shot out to a 13-0 first half lead and never looked back as the Gators (16-12) – in just their second year as a program – advanced to the finals of the United East Championship with a 83-61 win over Penn State Harrisburg on Tuesday night.

The Gators set up a matchup with Bryn Athyn, who needed overtime to defeat Penn College. The two former Colonial States Athletic Conference opponents will meet on Saturday to decide the United East title and the autobid to the NCAA tournament.

Notre Dame put five players in double figures, with Dylan Long scoring 16. Ahmad Harrison had 15, with Jackson Pugh getting 14. Jahbreco Dacosta had 12 and Chandler Johnson had ten.

The Gators were efficient in the first half, shooting 17-for-32 (53.13 percent) from the field and 6-for-10 (60 percent) from behind the arc.

Dacosta had eight rebounds, while Johnson had six assists.

For PSU-Harrisburg (18-9), the Nittany Lions got 15 points from Isaiah Eggleston and 12 points from Jordan Spencer.

Notre Dame led wire-to-wire, with Pugh's layup at 16:21 left in regulation setting a high-water mark for the lead at 31 (56-25). The Gators held Harrisburg to 8-for-27 shooting in the first half (29.63 percent) and just two of seven three-pointers.

The two teams met twice last season, with Bryn Athyn winning both times. This will be the first championship appearance for both squads.