Lions top Shenango in 1-2 week following fall break
Hazleton, Pa. - Hazleton entered the fall break with a 4-1 record but the Lions were not able to keep that momentum going after 10 days off during the holiday. Hazleton resurfaced from the break to drop their first conference game of the season, a 34 point loss at Penn State Mont Alto but bounced back well with home victory over Penn State Shenango on Friday. Hazleton nearly pulled off the weekend sweep in their Saturday home contest with Penn State New Kensington but a strong second half effort led to a win at the buzzer for the visitors, sending Hazleton home with a 1-2 record in PSUAC play last week.
Tuesday, November 28 - Penn State Hazleton 57, Penn State Mont Alto 91
Tuesday's contest was easily the weakest of the fall semester for the Nittany Lions. Hazleton tallied just 12 points in the first half as the Lions went just 4-for-23 from the field to trail Mont Alto by 20 points at the break. Hazleton got 16 points from third year player Jerry Surrency (Vineland, Nj.) in the second half but Surrency was the only player for Hazleton to notch more than two field goals in the period. Meanwhile, Mont Alto continued to fire on all cylinders, to the tune of 59 second half points, running away for the victory by a score of 91-57.
Surrency finished the game as Hazleton's lone player in double figures, finishing the game with 16 points and four rebounds. Third year players Dante Harward (Danville, Pa.) totaled five points with seven rebounds while third year Nick Sambour (Williamstown, Nj.) added six points and six rebounds, respectively.
Friday, December 1 - Penn State Shenango 86, Penn State Hazleton 91
Hazleton had their hands full with the evenly matched Shenango squad and Friday night's game was worth every penny to fans in attendance. This game featured nine ties and at no point did either team extend the lead into double figures. This one came down to efficiency and Hazleton gained the edge by shooting over 50 percent from the field for the game. Hazleton used a 13-4 run in the final 10 minutes of the first half to go up by nine late in the period but went scoreless in the final 2:30 of the half, allowing Shenango to trim the Hazleton advantage to four points at halftime. Both teams would make their runs in the second half and Shenango took a one-point lead midway through the final period until a 7-0 run by the Lions, capped by an old fashioned three-point play by Surrency gave Hazleton some breathing room. The Lions were able to maintain a two-possession lead down the stretch and connect on enough free throws to capture their first conference win of the year.
Six different Hazleton players tallied double figures in the scoring column led by Surrency and Harward who racked up 18 points each. Surrency shot 6-for-13 from the field in the win while Harward went 8-for-12 with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Nick Sambour added 15 points off the Hazleton bench with first year player Axcel Kamanga (Bethlehem, Pa.) totaling 13 points and seven rebounds in the win. Third year player Malachi Green (Atlantic City, Nj.) and first year player Shamel Gibson (Easton, Pa.) garnered 10 points each to round out Hazleton's top efforts on the night.
Saturday, December 2 - Penn State New Kensington 80, Penn State Hazleton 78
Hazleton will want a mulligan on this game as the Lions posted a 16 point advantage late in the first half. The Lions went 16-for-29 collectively in the first half including four triples to put New Kensington on notice after 20 minutes but foul trouble and turnovers paved the way for comeback by the visiting team. New Kensington started the half on a 14-4 run, nearly erasing Hazleton's 13 point halftime advantage in just three minutes on the court. It was anybody's game from that point on and midway through the final period, New Kensington took their first lead since early in the first half. Both teams would go back and forth down the stretch but late in the game, New Kensington was taking full advantage of the charity stripe, connecting on 11-of-14 free throws in the second half and using that to carry a slim, three point lead into the final minute of the game. Hazleton got the ball back with 30 seconds to play and Nick Sambour connected on a game-tying triple with just four seconds remaining in the game but a quick inbounds by New Kensington led to a coast to coast lay-up by Shyheim Flanagan who went unobstructed down the court, sinking the lay-in with no time remaining to prevent overtime and give New Kensington the win by two points.
Despite the loss, Hazleton spread the wealth nicely again on offense. Harward and Green led the Lions with 13 points each while Kamanga and Surrency totaled 12 points each. Sambour added 12 points of his own while third-year player Connor Rushing (Newtown, Pa.) registered 10 points in the losing effort.
Next up: Hazleton will look to finish out the semester on a positive run beginning with a home contest on Tuesday with Penn State Schuylkill. The Lions will finish out the year with a road trip to face Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State DuBois over the weekend before heading into finals week.