ABINGTON, Pa. – The Neumann University Women's Basketball team defeated Penn State Abington in their final non-conference game of the season, in thrilling fashion, by a final score of 62-60.
Aubrie Breisblatt got the game rolling with a three-pointer, but Penn State Abington went on a 15-4 run to take an eight-point lead with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. The teams traded buckets for the rest of the period, and it was a 23-15 lead for the Nittany Lions.
In the first four minutes of the second quarter, Neumann pulled within four with an 8-2 run. Abington extended back to a seven-point lead with 4:10 left but the Knights went on an 8-4 run, including six free throws, and the lead was down to 34-31 at the half.
The second half started back-and-forth as eventually, with 5:20 left in the third, the Knights tied the game at 41. The Nittany Lions scored the next three points but
Emily DuPont dropped two straight threes to give Neumann their first lead since it was 3-0. Penn State Abington responded with six straight points to close the quarter, giving them a 50-47 lead.
Neumann opened the fourth quarter with authority as they scored nine of the first 11 points for a four point lead with 5:25 left in regulation. Over the next two minutes, Abington went on a 6-2 run to tie the game at 58 with just under three minutes remaining. Both teams went cold until DuPont received a pass from
Jenna Aponik and banked a layup in forthe two point lead. After the Nittany Lions tied the game up, and after a timeout, DuPont waited with ball possession then found a way to spin inside the lane and float in the game-winning bucket right at the final buzzer.
DuPont led the Knights with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Jacqueline Wardrop added 17 points along with four assists, both shooting over 50% for the game. Neumann was perfect from the free throw line nailing all nine shots. Wardrop had five, and both
Olivia Pagliuso and
Jenna Aponik dropped two each.
Neumann (12-7) will return to the court on Saturday afternoon when they visit Marywood University in Scranton. The opening tip is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
