No. 1 Hazleton runs past Lehigh Carbon in semester finale

HAZLETON, Pa. - Five players finished in double figures, including three off the bench, as Penn State Hazleton cruised to a 91-39 win over Lehigh Carbon Community College in a non-conference women's basketball game on Thursday night in the Dr. Thomas Caccese Gymnasium.

Senior Alexis Daly (Wyalusing, Pa.) led all scorers with 20 points while freshman Ijonana Laster (Niagara Falls, NY) poured in 16 off the bench. Hazleton (10-1, 4-0 PSUAC) outscored their visitors by nine points or more in every quarter, building a comfortable 24-point lead heading into the half.

Hazleton shot nearly 45 percent from the field, making 38 shots from the field, including a season-high five three-pointers. The Lady Lions continued their strong defensive efforts, forcing 32 turnovers and turning them into 40 points.

1st Half

The Lady Lions jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Leading wire-to-wire, Daly scored six of Hazleton's first nine points while Hazleton built a 13-4 lead. Hazleton finished the first quarter on a 10-4 run to hold a 23-8 advantage.

A steady, consistent second quarter that saw six Lady Lions score helped Hazleton build a 40-16 halftime advantage. Freshman Kassie Ferdinand (Mountain Top, Pa.) hit a jumper just more than halfway through the quarter for a 34-12 lead before the teams traded baskets to end the half.

2nd Half

Hazleton began to pull away in the third, building a 33-point cushion with two minutes left in the stanza. Daly dominated midway through the quarter, scoring six straight points and Laster capped the quarter with five points in the final minute as Hazleton held a 65-28 lead.

Ferdinand scored eight of her 10 points in the final quarter as Hazleton nearly matched their season-high point total of 93.

Top Performers

Daly led the way with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. Laster finished with 16 points and three assists. Freshman McKenzie Prutsman (Jasper, NY) added six assists and five steals from the point guard position, while sophomore Alison Vincent (Ashville, Pa.) added 14 points from a reserve position.

Freshman Kassie Ferdinand (Mountain Top, Pa.) added a career-high 10 points, while sophomore Jacqlyn Siva-Harrison (South Brunswick, NJ) rounded out Hazleton's double figure scorers with 11.

Celina Fital scored a team-best 18 points for Lehigh Carbon, who fell to 3-7 on the season.

Next Up: Hazleton takes a month long hiatus over the break before traveling to Central Penn College for a non-conference game on Tuesday, Jan. 12th for a 7:00 p.m. start.