BALTIMORE, MD - The Notre Dame of Maryland University men's basketball team heads to Pennsylvania this Saturday, Feb. 21, to take on Penn State Harrisburg in a pivotal United East Conference quarterfinal matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 PM at the Capital Union Building in Middletown, PA as the #5 seeded Gators look to avenge a regular season loss against the Nittany Lions.

Notre Dame of Maryland enters the game looking to even up its recent history with the Nittany Lions. The Gators dropped their last meeting on Jan. 13 at Gator Court, falling 70–65 despite a strong second-half rally. Marlon Lewis led the Gators with 20 points in that contest, while Dylan Long and Jahbreco Dacosta also contributed key offense.

Penn State Harrisburg, meanwhile, has been one of the more consistent United East squads this year. The Nittany Lions, who were named the #1 team in the preseason polls, jumped out early in the season and have put together a solid record in conference play. In the January matchup, Harrisburg's balanced scoring, led by Dylan Moore, Elijah Eccleston, and Chris Henderson Jr., helped them fend off Notre Dame's late surge.

The Nitatny Lions are led by Dylan Moore and his 12.2 PPG. Chris Henderson Jr. is close behind with 10.6 PPG and Jordan Spencer finished the regular season with 9.6 PPG and 7.4 REB/G. 

Notre Dame will aim to flip the script in this rematch and punch its ticket to the United East semifinals. The Gators have shown growth and resilience throughout the season, with a four game winning streak late in the season putting them in contention for the #1 seed before a regular season finale loss at Lancaster Bible derailed those plans.

The Gators will rely on Lewis to bring his A game, as he leads the team with 18.4 PPG and 6.6 REB/G along with his 39 blocks. Ricardo Ross averages 15.4 PPG and leads the team with 76 assists and 49 three pointers on the season along with shooting 79% from the free throw line. Anthony Wright has caught fire late in the season, getting his scoring numbers up to 10.3 PPG as the versatile guard continues to be a scoring threat inside and out.

The two teams have only met twice all-time, with the Gators winning the first meeting in the the 2024-2025 season defeating the Nittany Lions 83-61 in the regular season.

With a spot in the United East semis on the line and both teams familiar with each other's style, Saturday's matchup promises to be competitive from start to finish.

Fans can watch the exciting quarterfinal match at: https://psucampusathletics.com/psuharrisburg/