Box Score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Many unknowns surrounded the 2011-12 Elizabethtown College men's basketball roster before the team actually took to the court for its season, and home, opener Tuesday night at Thompson Gymnasium. One thing 22nd-year head coach Bob Schlosser found out is that his team has fight. That fact alone wasn't enough on this night, however, as Penn State Harrisburg held off the Jays 76-63 in front of better than 300 supporters.

Joe Schwalm took the wrapping off the new season with a bucket nearly a minute in to give Elizabethtown (0-1) an early edge. The sophomore was also responsible for a layup just under five minutes in that pushed E-town to a 12-6 lead, its largest of the half —and of the night.

Strong play on the perimeter and down on the blocks helped the Nittany Lions (1-0) sustain a lead for much of the first half. Aiding the cause was their ability to protect the ball. PSU Harrisburg turned over the rock only three times in the first half and 10 times for the game. The Blue Jays weren't so lucky in that category, committing 24 giveaways. It was the most turnovers in a game for E-town since last Nov. 20 at York.

Kenton Alston, the Lions' leading returning scorer, converted a three-point play with 4:17 remaining in the first half to push PSU Harrisburg to its first double digit lead at 39-28. Teammates Alberto De Los Santos, Steve Jones and Joseph Farthing all followed with points as the lead ballooned to 16. The visitors carried a 44-33 lead to the locker room.

E-town answered quickly in the second half with a period-opening 14-7 run that cut the Lions led to four. Ben Cable hit a three, Andrew Mantz was 4-of-4 at the charity stripe and Kyle McConnell finished off a chance at the bucket. Half way through the half, another set of Mantz free throws brought the Blue Jays within three at 55-52, but E-town would never get closer. Mantz, who totaled 17 points and 14 boards, was a perfect 11-of-11 at the foul line.

An experienced PSU Harrisburg side, which reached the North Eastern Athletic Conference Championship last season, stretched the lead out to the winning margin of 13 behind 10 points each from Amani Glenn and David Reisinger. The Nittany Lions returned three double figure scorers from last year's team, while E-town was looking to replace 40 points per game in its lineup.

Cable had 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting for E-town, including a game high four 3-pointers on eight attempts. Schwalm was impressive in his first varsity action with nine points to go along with 10 boards. McConnell also had nine and, to no one's surprise, a team-high five assists.

Glenn led four PSU Harrisburg players in double figures with a game-high 22 points. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, despite being one of the smallest players on the floor at 5-foot-8. Alston had 15, Reisinger 14 and Jordan Gatchell 10.

The growing process continues for E-town this weekend as it travels to the York White Rose City Classic at York College. The Blue Jays clash with the host Spartans Friday evening at 6 p.m.