READING, Pa. – Penn College dealt Penn State Berks an 87-79 setback in a North Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball Saturday. The Wildcats improved to 6-14 overall, 4-4 NEAC, while the Nittany Lions fell to 2-17, 2-9.

How it Happened: Neither team led by more than five points in the opening 17 minutes of the game, that saw several lead changes and two ties, the final coming with the score deadlocked at 28 with 2:47 on the clock. The Wildcats finished off the final 2:32 with a 9-1 run to lead 37-29 at halftime.

A Ben Sosa trey with 15:03 in the game gave Penn College its largest lead, 48-37, in the second half before Fred Young made it a 12-point game with a long ball 10 minutes later. The Lions pulled within six on three spate occasions, but PCT went 6 of 6 from the line in the final minutes to ice the game.

Inside the Box:  Sosa scored a season-high 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out five assists, and picked up four blocks. Damon Kreider finished with 14 points and Carson Garvis scored nine points and pulled down eight rebounds.

Jared Houck led Berks with 24 points.

Outside the Box: "Our defensive effort today was outstanding. We came out with a ton of energy, which led to some major defensive stops," Penn College coach Geoff Hensley said. "I thought our players did a fantastic job contesting Berks' 3 point shots and finished the possession with great rebounding.
 
"Individually, Ben Sosa stepped up his game was an outstanding floor leader for us. He was phenomenal for the full game offensively and defensively. Fred Young brought a great spark to the floor, specifically in the second half with a couple three pointers and free throws.
 
"This is the most exciting time of year for college basketball as each conference game is battle. Our team did a great job responding from a loss earlier this week and I'm very proud of their perseverance through adversity."

Up Next: Penn College returns to action Wednesday, 5 p.m., hosting Lancaster Bible College.