WASHINGTON - The Gallaudet University men's basketball scrapped and pushed the two-time defending United East Conference champions Penn State Harrisburg to the brink here Saturday afternoon in the Field House. In the end, the visitors walked away with a hard-fought 69-61 win over the Bison in the conference opener for both teams.

Gallaudet (1-6, 0-1 United East) shot nearly 45 percent from the field in the second half and made six 3-pointers as GU came back from being down 40-26 at the half. Sophomore forward Enow Otto Jr. (Waldorf, Md.) made a layup at the 2:46 mark in the second half to cut the Lions' lead to eight, 64-56. Penn State Harrisburg (4-3, 1-0 United East) led by as much as 17 points, 53-36 (11:09 mark), in the second half but the Bison hung around and around. 

Senior guard Corey Smith (Miami, Fla.) finished the game with a team-high 16 points, three steals and two assists. Sophomore forward Brandon Chung (Kahului, Hawaii) tallied 12 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Preston Kelly (Indianapolis, Ind.) grabbed a team best nine boards and passed out nine assists in the loss.

Penn State Harrisburg was paced by guard Nate Curry's 19 points and 15 rebounds, all game-high marks, and passed out five helpers. Isaiah Eggleston knocked down three 3-pointers en route to 12 points and five rebounds while guard Zegary Scott II finished with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds. 

UP NEXT
GU will travel up to Towson, Md., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, to face Goucher College (1-6) in a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m.