ABINGTON, PA - Notre Dame of Maryland came up just short in a tightly contested United East matchup, falling 56–55 to Penn State Abington on Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Building.
The Gators battled from the opening tip in a game that featured eight lead changes and five ties. After trailing 18–14 at the end of the first quarter, Notre Dame responded with strong defense in the second, holding Abington to just six points to take a 29–24 lead into halftime.
NDMU carried its momentum into the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 21–19 behind aggressive play in the paint and strong rebounding.
Amani Watts led the charge, finishing with a team-high 14 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, while
Marecia Barnett added nine points and five assists.
Penn State Abington rallied in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities as they led 56-52 with three minutes left. Watts was able to power through and make a layup to halve the lead with under two minutes remaining.
Raina Burns narrowly missed a shot that would have given the Gators the lead, but the Nittany Lions missed both free throws on the ensuing possession to give NDMU another chance. Barnett missed a three point shot, but Watts pulled down the offensive rebound and was fouled with a chance to tie the game at the free throw line. After she made the first shot, she missed the second one as time expired.
Watts' effort was complemented by
Raina Burns with eight points,
Madison Simmons with seven points, and
Allison Holman with six points off the bench. Notre Dame finished with a 37–27 rebounding advantage and forced 18 turnovers, but struggled offensively in the final quarter, shooting just 1-for-9 from the field.
With the loss, Notre Dame of Maryland moves to 11–9 overall and 7–2 in United East play as they fall into a third place tie with Abington. The Gators will have a tough turnaround as they face the St. Mary's College of Maryland Seahawks, who currently sit atop the United East Conference standings at 8-0 and are 15-5 overall on the season. The Gators are 1-4 all-time against the Seahawks, with St. Mary's winning the last meeting 54-51 a year ago.
