Lions stymied with road losses to Schuylkill and Wilkes-Barre

Hazleton, Pa. - After winning four straight in conference play, Hazleton was set back this week as they went on the road to face Penn State Schuylkill and Wilkes-Barre. The Lions lost two close games this week, falling at Penn State Schuylkill on Tuesday by a score of 80-75 and faded late in the game at Penn State Wilkes-Barre on Friday to lose by a score of 71-59. The losses drop Hazleton to 5-8 on the season in PSUAC play with five games remaining on the slate for February. 

Tuesday, January 28: Penn State Hazleton 75, Penn State Schuylkill 80 - Final

A back and forth first half saw both teams converting at a high rate on the offensive ends. Hazleton shot over 57 percent from the field in the first half, getting six triples from five different players, but Schuylkill forced eight turnovers in the period and those extra possessions allowed them a two-point edge over the Hazleton squad after the first period. Schuylkill proved to be the more efficient team out of the halftime break and slowly expanded their lead to 14 points with six minutes to play in the game. But Hazleton bounced back with a 7-0 run that saw back to back buckets from third year Andre Campbell and a triple from third year Dante Stokes that got them right back into contention. A triple from third year Shamell Ponds helped get the Lions back to within one possession of Schuylkill but the Lions would run out of time as Schuylkill converted four of five free throws in the final minute of play to keep Hazleton out of the win column by a five point margin. Ultimately the Lions would top Schuylkill in field goal percentage, three-point shooting and rebounds, but 18 turnovers spelled defeat for Hazleton. 

Campbell continued his stretch of fine play, leading a trio of Nittany Lions in double-figures on Tuesday. Campbell notched 28 points in the loss, adding six boards, four assists and three blocked shots. Fourth year Connor Rushing finished with 13 points and Shamell Ponds totaled 12 points, while second year George McConkey totaled 10 rebounds and eight points in the loss. 

Friday, January 31: Penn State Hazleton 59, Penn State Wilkes-Barre 71 - Final

Hazleton looked to get back at Wilkes-Barre who topped the Lions on their home court by just five points back in November. The Lions looked to be in control for much of the game on Friday, holding Wilkes-Barre to just 29 points in the first half but the Lions offense would stall in the second half as Hazleton shot just 26.5 percent from the floor compared to over 60 percent for Wilkes-Barre who found their way to rim possession after possession in the final 20 minutes. Despite the wide margin in the stat categories, Hazleton battled back to within 1 points of Wilkes-Barre midway through the half, getting conversions in the paint from fourth year Dante Harward and Andre Campbell and a triple by Connor Rushing with six minutes to play. Hazleton was back in the mix, but cooled off in the final minutes of play with six one-and-done possessions that came up empty allowing Wilkes-Barre to extend their lead to 12 points by the final horn. 

Harward and Campbell did the bulk of the heavy lifting in the loss for the Lions. Harward finished with 22 points and eight rebounds while Campbell went 8-of-16 from the field to earn 22 points, adding six rebounds and a pair of steals respectively. 

With just five games remaining, Hazleton will need to get back on track in a hurry amidst a crowded field of playoff contenters in the PSUAC East Division. The Lions will host Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday, February 4 at 8:00 p.m. as they look to get back in the playoff hunt.