Lady Lions bounce back with 65-49 win at Wilkes-Barre

Lehman, Pa. - The Lady Lions used 17 second chance points and 19 points off turnovers to get back in the win column on Tuesday night when they faced Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Hazleton forced 11 turnovers in the first half as they held Wilkes-Barre to just 15 points in the first two periods, steadily building a cushion that they would carry to the finish line for a 65-49 win. Hazleton's victory moves the squad to 11-2 in the Penn State University Athletic Conference and knotted in a three way tie for second place with Penn State Beaver and Brandywine.

Top Performers

WIlkes-Barre was led by Samantha Corsello who went seven for 10 from the field to total 16 points for Wilkes-Barre. Teammate Amari Boyd registered 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks while Raven Monet Kemper added eight points, six assists and four steals.

Sophomore Ijonana Laster (Niagara Falls, Ny.) led the Lady Lions with an 18 point effort to lead all scorers in the game. Three other Lady Lions reached double figures including sophomores McKenzie Prutsman (Jasper, Ny.) and Haley Nalls (York, Pa.) along with junior Jacqlyn Siva-Harrison (South Brunswick, Nj.).

Siva-Harrison made good on seven of 12 attempts to total 16 points, adding a dozen rebounds and three steals. Prutsman earned 12 points, five assists and three steals while Nalls totaled 10 points and five rebounds. Just shy of double figures was senior Stephanie Guevara (New Brunswick, Nj.) who had a healthy night statistically with nine points, four steals, five assists and a game high 16 boards.

1st Half

Hazleton burst onto the scoreboard in the first quarter with a 13-2 run in the first five minutes of action that included three good field goals from Siva-Harrision. Hazleton would earn just three free throws in the final 4:20 of the period but limit Wilkes-Barre to just nine points in the first. 

The Lady Lions picked up defensively in the second to hold their opponents to single digits once more. Hazleton would benefit from seven Wilkes-Barre turnovers in the period and hold their opponent to just 17.6 percent shooting in the quarter to boost their lead to 30-15 by the half.

2nd Half

Guevara and Laster would power the Lady Lion offense in the third period, expanding their lead to as many as 19 points in the first two minutes of action. The Lady Lions would maintain their healthy margin throughout the half thanks to a 13 point effort from the duo. Hazleton would continue to tack on points in the fourth quarter despite a 53.8 percent shooting effort from Wilkes-Barre in the final frame. The Lady Lions would go ahead by as many as twenty points in the fourth on a pair of Nalls free throws and coast to finish line for the 65-49 win.

Next up

The Lady Lions earn a win in their final road game of the regular season and return home on Friday, February 10 for the last game of the regular season against Penn State Schuylkill. Join us just prior to the 6:00 p.m. tip off as the Lady Lions honor senior Stephanie Guevara's four year career and 1,000 point achievement.