No. 2 Women's Basketball grabs 64-47 win over Penn State Fayette

HAZLETON, Pa. - Penn State Hazleton earned a 64-47 victory over Penn State Fayette on Saturday afternoon in a women's Penn State University Athletic Conference match-up of top-20 teams. The no. 2 Lady Lions, who gained three spots in the latest USCAA Coaches Poll, pulled away late in the first half to earn the win over the no. 18 Roaring Lions.

Hazleton (16-2, 10-1 PSUAC) were led by junior Alexis Daly (Wyalusing, Pa.) with 23 points and 16 rebounds. Daly added three assists as senior teammate Christine Soltys (Milton, Pa.) added 12 points, eight boards and two assists. Sophomore Stephanie Guevara (North Brunswick, Pa.) earned her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Fayette was led by Kaitlin Miller and Courtney Haines, with each scoring 12 points. The Roaring Lions struggled from the field, however, shooting 25 percent overall, including 4-for-20 from behind the arc.

The Lady Lions once again shot under 40 percent for the fifth straight game, a line they didn't shoot under but twice in their first 13 games. But once again defense prevailed, including 10 points off of 13 Penn State Fayette turnovers. Hazleton also outrebounded Fayette, 52-45, and scored ten more points in the paint than their opponents.

The game was a back-and-forth affair early, and saw three ties and six lead changes, all in the first half. Hazleton pulled away with an 8-0 run to close the opening stanza ahead 33-23, and would not lead by any fewer than 10 the rest of the way. Fayette closed the gap to 13 on multiple occasions after Hazleton had extended their lead to 22 with 13:25 to play, but would not get any closer.

Hazleton, who sits in second place in the PSUAC behind Penn State Brandywine, will get three days of rest before hosting Penn State Schuylkill on Wednesday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. in the Dr. Thomas Caccese Gymnasium.