Second half spoils Lions bid for road success at Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Lehman, Pa. - Tuesday night proved to be a difficult shooting night when Hazleton (3-7, 2-2 PSUAC) traveled to Penn State Wilkes-Barre (2-8, 1-3 PSUAC) as Penn State University Athletic Conference play continued. The Nittany Lions shot just 25 percent from the field as their local rival pulled away in the second half, downing the Lions by a score of 71-47.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre's Dean Shaner dominated the paint forcing the Nittany Lions to fire from beyond the arc, a challenge the Lions were unable were unable to overcome. The the Nittany Lions shot just 20 percent from the field in the first half but trailed by just nine points at the break.

Wilkes-Barre turned up the offense in the second half while Hazleton continued to struggle from the field. The home team shot a shade over 55 percent from the field including a 10 point second half performance from Shakur Jackson. Despite out-rebounding Penn State Wilkes-Barre and winning the turnover battle, Hazleton's deficit continued to to climb until the final buzzer.

Top Performers: 

Wilkes-Barre's Shakur Jackson netted 19 points to lead all scorers, shooting 50 percent from the field on the night. The seven foot tall Dean Shaner posted a triple double, scoring 10 points while earning 11 rebounds and 11 blocked shots to stymie the Hazleton offense.

Sophomore Royce Brathwaite was the only Nittany Lion to reach double figures on a difficult scoring night. Brathwaite scored 12 points including two buckets from long range to lead Hazleton. Sophomore Jordan Singletary collected a game-high 16 rebounds but was limited to just five points in the loss.

Next Up: The Nittany Lions look to rebound from Tuesday night's loss when they take on Lehigh Carbon Community College on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. in the Dr. Thomas M. Cacesse Gymnasium at Penn State Hazleton.