BALTIMORE, MD - A late Notre Dame of Maryland Gators rally fell just short, as they fell to Penn State Harrisburg 70–65 at Gator Court. The battle of two teams that went into the game with undefeated records in conference play did not disappoint, as the exciting matchup captivated the audience from the start. 

The Nittany Lions led wire-to-wire as they jumped out to a 9-0 start and carried a 35–29 advantage into halftime before holding off a spirited second-half push by the Gators. Notre Dame trimmed the deficit to three points multiple times down the stretch, but Penn State Harrisburg answered with timely baskets and free throws in the final minute to secure the road victory.

Marlon Lewis powered the Gators with a game-high 20 points, converting 8-of-9 from the free-throw line while adding eight rebounds. Dylan Long chipped in 10 points and seven boards, and Jahbreco Dacosta added nine points off the bench as Notre Dame outscored the visitors 36–35 in the second half.

Penn State Harrisburg was paced by Dylan Moore, who finished with 17 points, while Elijah Eccleston provided a spark off the bench with 15 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night, including three 3-pointers. Chris Henderson added 12 points for the Nittany Lions, who improved to 6–0 in United East play.

Notre Dame shot 41.2 percent from the field and an efficient 21-of-23 from the foul line but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 2-of-11. Despite forcing several late turnovers and pushing the tempo, the Gators were unable to overcome an early deficit and fell to 3–1 in conference play.

The Gators will look to bounce back as they continue United East action over the weekend when they host Penn State Brandywine on Saturday, January 17 at 1 PM. Brandywine is currently 4-1 in conference play with the lone loss coming against Valley Forge.