No. 2 Lady Lions survive barnburner in the burbs...win 73-68 at Penn State Brandywine

Media, Pa. - Sophomore forward Kamryn Dodd (Stevensville, Md.) provided nine fourth quarter points and dominated the glass in a tense 73-68 wire to wire victory for Penn State Hazleton on the road at Penn State Brandywine Friday night.

Hazleton out-rebounded the home team 52-36, including 19 offensive boards, overcoming their struggles at the free throw line and trouble handling the ball. Hazleton's prowess on the glass earned the squad 18 second chance points, including a season high 15 rebounds for Dodd. The Lady Lions shot just 59 percent from the charity stripe, but quantity trumped quality in tonight's contest. The Lions poured in 22 points from the line, rescuing the squad from an uncharacteristic 25 turnovers. On a tough shooting night for the senior, Alexis Daly (New Albany, Pa.) willed her way to 15 free throw attempts, notching 10 scores from the stripe to help her squad maintain their perfect record in the Penn State University Athletic Conference. 

1st Half

Hazleton opened the game on an 8-0 run and continued to have a fine opening quarter, forcing eight turnovers and winning the quarter 19-13. Brandywine turned the tables in the second period forcing 10 miscues from Hazleton and closing the gap. Brandywine limited the Lions to just 10 second quarter points, but sophomore Alison Vincent (Ashville, Pa.) provided a spark off the Lady Lion bench, providing six first half points to keep the Lions out in front, 29-27 at halftime.

2nd Half

Once again the Lady Lions got off to a hot start in the half, but each time the Lions pulled away, Brandywine found ways to stimie the Hazleton offense and get back into contention. Hazleton was the beneficiary of four layups in the opening four plus minutes of action, stretching their lead to 11 midway through the third, but a 10 point quarter from Brandywine's Olivia Encarnacion, erased the deficit to just three points entering the final quarter.

Dodd kept the Lady Lions out in front in the fourth as Brandywine threatened to issue Hazleton their first conference loss of the season. The sophomore netted Hazleton's first nine points of the quarter including a pair of put-back buckets via the offensive rebound. Leading by nine with 5:55 to play, Hazleton hit the skids, surrending the basketball on three straight possessions and proceeding to go on a three minute, twenty second scoring drought as Brandywine inched closer to the upset, cutting the lead to just one point with 3:44 to play. A clutch offensive rebound and assist from sophomore Jacqlyn Siva-Harrison (South Brunswick, Nj.) to junior Stephanie Guevara (North Brunswick, Pa.) stretched the lead back to three points and with the clock winding down, Hazleton was bound for the free throw line. The Lions missed seven shots from the stripe in the fourth, but with the game on the line, freshman Haley Nalls (York, Pa.) nabbed the Lions 19th offensive rebound forcing Brandywine to foul Hazleton's top free throw shooter. Up two with five seconds to play, freshman McKenzie Prutsman (Jasper, Ny.) iced the game with a pair singles, and Hazleton went on to win 73-68.

Top Performers

Four players for Brandywine tallied double figures on the night including 16 each from Olivia Encarnacion and Chelsea Dent. Cashae Hinton scored 11 points in the loss, adding five steals and four assists, while teammate added 10 points.

Alexis Daly notched her third straight game of 20 points or higher, going 10 for 15 from the free throw line and finishing the game with 20 points and eight rebounds. Kamryn Dodd picked up her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a game high 15 rebounds. Prutsman added 11 points (5 of 6 FT) and three steals, while Ally Vincent had a fine night in relief work, scoring 11 points and seven rebounds.

Next Up

The United States Collegiate Athletic Association's no. 2 ranked Lady Lions collide with the no. 6 ranked team in the country, Penn State Lehigh Valley. A Saturday Showdown in Stabler Arena at Lehigh University for top dog in the PSUAC. Tip-off at 5:00 p.m. Follow @PSUHNAthletics on Twitter for updates on tomorrow's marquis matchup.