No. 2 Lady Lions Stumble Against Conference Rival

Senior Christine Soltys swings the ball across court as Hazleton pushes the ball up court.
Senior Christine Soltys swings the ball across court as Hazleton pushes the ball up court.

Hazleton, PA – The Lady Lions stumbled Wednesday night in a Penn State University Athletic Conference matchup against local rival Penn State Schuylkill (7-8, 4-7 PSUAC) 53-49. With that loss Penn State Hazleton (16-3, 10-2 PSUAC) drops just its 3rd game this season, a contest in which neither team gained much separation until the final buzzer.

On a tough night from the field, Hazleton was led by Junior Forward Alexis Daly earning her 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Forward Taylor Cannon added 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals along with Sophomore Stephanie Guevara's 8 point, 9 rebound performance.

Penn State Hazleton jumped out to an early 5-0 lead within the first minute of play, but that advantage would equal their largest lead all evening. Penn State Schuylkill quickly answered and carried a slim 3 point lead at the break. Poor shooting continued for the Lady Lions in the second half, failing to convert on the offensive end shooting just 25 percent from the field. Schuylkill opened up a 7 point edge with 3 minutes remaining. Hazleton managed to hold their opponent to just 2 free throws in the final minutes, but was unable complete the late comeback.

Penn State Schuylkill saw a trio of teammates in double figures. Forward Tessa Dolce, who is averaging a double-double per game, racked up another this evening with 13 points and 15 rebounds in the contest. Rounding out the bulk of Schuylkill's offense were Madison Blasko with 14 points and Coleen Druby with a 13 point 6 rebound output.

The Lady Lions will face off with top conference opponent Penn State Brandywine this Saturday at 1pm in the Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium. Join us for Senior Night as we honor 4-year athletes Taylor Cannon and Christine Soltys for their final regular season home game in what figures to be a contest with ample post-season implications.