READING, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College basketball team held off Penn State Berks for a 58-50 victory in its non-conference finale on Monday night at the Beaver Community Center.

The Nittany Lions started the game on a 9-2 run, which was finished off by a three-pointer from sophomore Hailey Miller (Lehighton, Pa.) with 7:04 to play. The Falcons then responded with a 10-0 run to grab a 12-9 advantage with 2:05 remaining in the opening quarter. The run was finished off by a triple by junior Bryanna Rivera (Reading, Pa./Greenfield (Mass.)). Penn State Berks cut the margin to one, 12-11, but graduate student Nicole Sachman (Niles, Mich./Brandywine) knocked down a jumper with two seconds left on the clock to give Cedar Crest a 14-11 lead at the end of the first frame.

The second quarter stayed tight with the teams trading the lead in the first half of the stanza. With the score 18-15 in favor of the Nittany Lions, the Falcons put together another 10-0 spurt to build a seven-point lead, 25-18. Penn State Berks finished with seven-straight points to make it a 25-22 score at the half.

Cedar Crest extended its lead to as many as nine in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth quarter. With the score 52-41 in favor of the Falcons after a 6-0 run, the Nittany Lions put together a 7-2 run to cut its deficit to six, 54-48. Cedar Crest was able to push its margin back to double-digits before coming away with the eight-point win, 58-50.

The Falcons shot 34.3 percent from the floor and held Penn State Berks to a 27.9 shooting percentage. Cedar Crest held the lead for nearly three quarters for a total of over 28 minutes.

Sophomore Jordan McGhee (Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove) paced the Falcons with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. First-year Caylie Long (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove) chipped in a near double-double of 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and four steals. First-year Megan Perrine (Mount Vision, N.Y./Gilbertsville-Mount Upton) added 10 points, one rebound, two steals, and a team-high three blocks. Rivera tallied nine points, four caroms, two assists, and one steal. Sachman registered eight points, seven rebounds, six assists, one block, and one steal. Junior Rachel Bilger (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Dublin) contributed seven points, a team-high 10 rebounds, and three assists.

Miller led the Nittany Lions with 28 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one block, and two steals. Junior Ashlyn Clark (Mertztown, Pa.) joined Miller in double-figures with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal.

Cedar Crest (4-6 overall) returns to conference play on Wednesday, January 10 as the Falcons host Cairn University at 7:00 p.m. Penn State Berks (1-11 overall) will host St. Mary's College of Maryland in a conference tilt on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

For the latest on Cedar Crest Athletics, follow the Falcons via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!