Lions come up empty in final seconds, fall to Brandywine 68-66

Penn State Brandywine narrowly defeated Penn State Hazleton in a close basketball game on January 27, 2024. The final score was 68-66 in favor of Penn State Brandywine.

In the first half, Penn State Brandywine took an early lead, outscoring Penn State Hazleton 32-30. However, Penn State Hazleton fought back in the second half, taking a five point lead over the visitors early in the second half. Midway through the final period, Brandywine reclaimed the lead and with just over two minutes to play, the visitors went up by six points. Hazleton scored four straight points in the final minute of the game, with a triple by Dante Harward and a free throw from Malachi Green, cutting the deficit to just two points. The Lions stymied Brandywine's offense to get one last attempt to tie or go ahead, but a last ditch effort by Hazleton's Brian Rivera came up empty at the horn as Brandywine escaped with the victory.

Colin Hockenbrock of Penn State Brandywine was the leading scorer of the game, contributing 16 points. He also recorded 10 rebounds, making it a double-double performance. Olayinka Itabiyi and Jamar Wright also had notable contributions with 10 points each.

For Penn State Hazleton, Dante Harward stood out as the top performer, scoring 16 points. He was efficient from the field, making 4 out of 6 field goal attempts. Jerry Surrency and Connor Rushing also had solid performances, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively.

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with Penn State Brandywine shooting 30.6% and Penn State Hazleton shooting 32.0% from three-point range. However, Penn State Brandywine had a slight advantage in overall field goal percentage, shooting 35.5% compared to Penn State Hazleton's 37.5%.

The game was closely contested, with neither team able to establish a significant lead. There were a total of 11 lead changes throughout the game, highlighting the competitive nature of the matchup. Saturday's loss marks Hazleton's sixth straight defeat in conference play. The Lions will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday, January 30 when Hazleton hosts Penn State Lehigh Valley at 8:00 p.m.