Shooting woes plague Hazleton in loss to Schuylkill

Hazleton, Pa. - The Nittany Lions fell to 3-7 on the season this past Saturday and 2-5 in the PSUAC following a 69-38 loss to Penn State Schuylkill. The loss saw Hazleton produce their lowest scoring output of the season, shooting just 25 percent from the field and less than 14 percent from beyond the arc, making it six defeats in a row heading into the winter break. 

Hazleton's defense was still solid throughout the game, forcing 19 Schuylkill turnovers, but the Lions surrendered 13 second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds to Schuylkill and 17 points off of Hazleton turnovers. The Lions had a chance to overcome those marks but the combination of Schuylkill's perimeter defense and poor shooting made this one a lopsided game from start to finish. Schuylkill jumped out to a double-figure lead just seven minutes into the action and it remained that way for the duration of play. The visitors scored the final eight points of the first half to make it a 32-12 advatantage for Schuylkill at the midway point. 

Freshman Kyle Artis (Allentown, Pa.) gave a strong showing in the second half, but the Lions would get just 12 points from the rest of the lineup in the second period. Artis scored all 14 of his points in the final 20 minutes to lead Hazleton but it was not enough to put any real pressure on Schuylkill who coasted to the finish for a 31 point victory. Artis finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds, both of which were team highs. 

Next up: The winter break is a welcome sight for the Lions who end the semester on a six game skid. Hazleton will look to bounce back into playoff contention when play resumes on January 13, 2023 at Penn State Beaver.