Lions come up short in thrilling season finale

In a thrilling matchup between Penn State Scranton and Penn State Hazleton on February 23, 2024, Penn State Scranton came out on top with a narrow 62-61 victory.

Penn State Scranton was led by Jaiden Wiggins with 15 points, followed closely by Fhenyx Scutt with 12 points. Despite shooting just 35% from the field and 25.9% from three-point range, Penn State Scranton was able to secure the win thanks to their solid free throw shooting at 72.2%.

On the other side, Penn State Hazleton was led by junior Dante Harward (Danville, Pa.) with 19 points and 18 rebounds ans first year player Axcel Kamanga (Bethlehem, Pa.) who totaled 13 points, five rebounds and five steals. Despite shooting 30.4% from the field and 22.9% from three-point range, Penn State Hazleton was able to stay in the game with their strong rebounding performance.

This one came down to the wire despite Hazleton trailing by as many as 10 points late in the second half. Hazleton rallied late in the game, going on a 9-0 run with baskets from Harward, Kamanga, and sophomore Kyle Artiis (Allentown, Pa.) and Brian Rivera (Shenandoah, Pa.). The late push got Hazleton to within one bucket of taking the lead, but a costly turnover with 30 seconds remaining allowed for an easy scoop and score for the visitors. The Lions trailed 62-59 in the final 20 seconds but a pair of three points attempts came up short. A tip-in at the buzzer pushed the Lions to within one point but it was not enough to extend the game as Hazleton fell 62-61.