WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Penn College used a strong first half to knock off Penn State Abington, 92-78, in North Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday. The Wildcats improved to 3-11 overall, 1-4 NEAC, while the Nittany Lions fell to 7-7, 2-3.

How it Happened: Tied 7-7 early in the contest, Penn College gained separation with a 20-4 scoring run to take a 27-11 lead on an Elijah Vazquez three with 9:32 left before halftime. The Wildcats held a double-digit lead for the majority of the remaining time, and took its largest lead, 51-33, on a pair of Carson Garvis free throws late in the period.

The Wildcats led the entire second half, leading by as many as 16 on three occasions, and as little as nine midway through the period.

Inside the Box: Ben Sosa scored a game-high 23 points for Penn College and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Vazquez added 22 points, Ryan Lockman scored 21 with eight boards, and Garvis finished with 13 points.

Amir Hill led Abington with 22 points.

Outside the Box: "Our team defense set the tone for the entire game. Our guys came out committed to helping each other and guarding the ball as a 5-man unit," Penn College coach Geoff Hensley said. "It was great to see our progress as a team compete with a very good Penn State Abington team and pick up a huge win on the road.
 
"Offensively, we did an outstanding job handling their pressure and finding each other. We had four players reach double figures and finished with a positive assist to turnover ratio. Our team executed the game plan perfectly and competed for a full 40 minutes.
 
"I'm very proud of this group for their continuous effort and work. We have competed with some very good teams this year and it was great to see our guys finish a game and close it out with a victory."

Up Next: Penn College returns to action Tuesday, 5 p.m., hosting Penn State Berks.