Hazleton wraps up weekend with back to back wins

Hazleton, Pa. - The Nittany Lions are looking to get back in contention for a post-season berth and this weekend's wins over Penn State DuBois and Shenango will go a long way to making that a reality. Hazleton battled through a late comeback by Dubois on Friday night to claim an 81-69 win and then on Saturday, cruised passed Penn State Shenango for a 102-75 victory, moving the team to a 3-6 record in conference play. 

Friday, January 17: Penn State DuBois 69, Penn State Hazleton 81 - Final

Hazleton kept DuBois at a multi-possession deficit for most of Friday night's contest but DuBois refused to go away quietly. The Lions led by as many as 14 point in the first half, thanks in part to a 12 point spark off the bench by third year player Jaziar Whitely and an eight point effort from third year Andre Campbell. Hazleton's lead hovered between eight and 12 points for most of the second half, but with seven minutes to play, DuBois struck a pair of triples to get to within one point of Hazleton at 65-64. But Hazleton had the answer on Friday night. Third year Shamell Ponds responded with a triple of his own and the Lions scored six points off DuBois turnovers to push their lead back to double-figures in the final minutes of play, successfully holding off DuBois for 12 point win. 

Five Nittany Lions topped double-digits in the scorebook on Friday night. Andre Campbell led the squad with an 18 point outing, adding six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Fourth year Connor Rushing made his presence felt to the tune of 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals with Whitely notching 15 points and four rebounds. Other top performers included fourth year Dante Harward who totaled 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals while Shamell Ponds totaled 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. 

Saturday, January 18: Penn State Shenango 75, Penn State Hazleton 102 - Final

Hazleton raced ahead to a double-digit lead in the first five minutes of action and never looked back in Saturday's must-win game. The Lions shot the ball exceptionally well, combining for a 57.4 percent field goal rate while shooting over 46 percent from beyond the arc. In total, Hazleton would connect on a season-high 13 triples, building up a 35 point advantage near the end of the second half. No one was more hot from the field than third year player Dante Stokes who notched a season-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from long range. Stokes was backed up by Shamell Ponds who led the Lions with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four assists and Andre Campbell who totaled 16 points in limited minutes due to foul trouble. Rounding out the top efforts for Hazleton on Saturday was Dante Harward with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. 

Across the board it was an excellent weekend for the Lions who will looked to continue their hot streak this week when the Lions welcome Penn State Lehigh Valley to the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese on Tuesday, January 21 for an 8:00 p.m PSUAC contest.