Berks Survives Late Surge and Holds on to Defeat Cazenovia

Penn State Berks (5-5) survived a late rally from Cazenovia College and held on the defeat the Wildcats 78-76 Sunday afternoon in the Beaver Community Center. 

The Nittany Lions held a 78-70 advantage with just under a minute remaining and almost let their third straight win slip away in the closing minute.  Courtney Bailey (Senior/Dauphin Co. Vo-Tech) hit a field goal with 51 seconds remaining to give Berks a 78-70 advantage and sure win before Cazenovia rattled off six straight points and missed desperation three from half court to fall short of a stunning comeback.  

The first half saw the two teams fight for control of the game as the lead changed hands four times in the opening 20 minutes of play and neither team held more than a five point advantage.  Penn State Berks would hold a slim lead going into halftime up 33-32 and momentum on their side.    

The Nittany Lions looked to take control of the game early in the second half coming out of the locker rooms on a 17-7 run that was capped off by a Sam Wescott (Freshman/Cedar Crest) layup with 15:10 remaining.  Cazenovia would use the next five minutes to put together a 20-9 run of their own to tie the score at 59 apiece with 8:49 remaining in the game.      

The teams would battle over the next six minutes and with the score tied at 65 with five minutes to play Jamie Norris (Sophomore/St. Pius X) scored seven points as part of an 11-3 Berks run to give the Nittany Lions a 76-68 lead with 1:29 left on the clock.  After a Courtney Bailey bucket with 51 seconds to play the Wildcats scored six straight but ran out of time and fell 78-76.

Courtney Bailey (Senior/Dauphin Co. Vo-Tech) led Berks with her third consecutive double double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.  Steph Binder (Junior/Wilson) shot 7-14 on the day for 18 points while Jasmine Harris Kane (Junior/Simon Gratz) ended with 15 points and handed out 7 assists on the day.  Jamie Norris turned in her best performance of the year with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block in 18 minutes of play.   

Colleen Clarke led the way for the Wildcats with 32 points on 13-26 shooting including 5-11 from behind the arc.  Samantha Allen turned in an unconventional double double with 10 points while handing out 11 assists on the day. 

The women will return to action Wednesday when they travel to Penn State Abington for a 5:30pm tip off.