ABINGTON, PA - Notre Dame of Maryland used a dominant first half and timely defensive plays down the stretch to secure an 83–75 road win over Penn State–Abington on Saturday afternoon.
The Gators jumped out early and never trailed after the opening minutes, building a 42–27 halftime advantage behind efficient shooting and relentless transition offense. Notre Dame shot over 50 percent from the field in the opening half and turned turnovers into easy baskets, consistently pushing the pace to keep Abington on its heels.
Marlon Lewis led the way for NDMU with a game-high 26 points, attacking the paint and finishing through contact while also anchoring the defense with five blocks and three steals. Jahbreco Decosta contributed a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while
Jackson Pugh added 16 points and knocked down key free throws late.
Anthony Wright chipped in 11 points and helped control the tempo along with
Ricardo Ross and his team high four assists.
Penn State Abington mounted a strong second-half rally, scoring 48 points after the break and cutting the deficit to single digits in the final minutes behind a hot shooting stretch from Tyler Fox, who finished with 29 points. Despite the surge, Notre Dame answered each run with timely baskets and strong rebounding, preventing the Lions from fully closing the gap.
The Gators finished the game shooting 50.8 percent from the field and scored 30 fast-break points as the pace of the Gators proved troublesome for the Nittany Lions.
With the win, Notre Dame improves to 14–8 overall and 8–2 in conference play, continuing to hold onto third place in the United East Conference standings. Standing in their way next is in-state rivals St. Mary's College of Maryland who will come to Gator Court on Wednesday, February 4 at 5 PM. St. Mary's currently sits mid-table at 4-4 in conference play and are 8-10 overall. The Gators are just 1-2 all-time against the Seahawks with the lone win coming in the most recent meeting a year ago with NDM winning 77-62 at St. Mary's.
