4th quarter rally comes up short at SUNY Delhi

Delhi, Ny. - The Lady Lions fell to 1-2 on the season following Saturday's 74-62 loss at SUNY Delhi. Freshman Katura McCorkle (Philadelphia, Pa.) notched 14 points on the afternoon, spearheading a late comeback that got Hazleton within seven points of the Broncos, but the offense stalled late in the fourth quarter seeing the Broncos close out the game on a 6-1 run en route to their first win of the season. 

Hazleton never led against the Broncos although Saturday's game proved much closer than the final score. The Lions hung around within ten points for much of the game with rebounding, turnovers and points in the paint finishing out in a virtual deadlock statistically. In the end, Delhi commanded an advantage from beyond the arc with Hazleton firing at just a 17.6 percent clip from long range, adding 40 bench points to secure the win. 

Hazleton trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter but bounced back early in the fourth to threaten a comeback. With 6:40 to play in regulation and Hazleton trailing 66-52, McCorkle got going with an old fashioned three-point play followed by a jumper from the baseline that sparked a 9-2 run for Hazleton. Down by seven points with less than five minutes to play, the Lions earned five opportunities to further cut into the Bronco lead but came up empty on four attempts from the field trying to keep the comeback hopes alive. Hazleton would notch just one point in the final four minutes and change after scoring 18 in the first five minutes of action and Delhi sealed up the win at the free throw line in the final stages of play to take the game by double figures. 

McCorkle scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half to ignite the late charge while pulling in seven boards on the day but freshman Scarlet Vargas (Bronx, Ny.) kept Hazleton in the mix early, notching a game high 19 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Phillis Fugah (Philadelphia, Pa.) added nine points and a team high 10 boards to round out Hazleton's top performers on Saturday.

Three Broncos tallied double-figures in the scoring column including Sam Acuna with 11 points and Kiera Holland with 10 but it was Carissa Crandall issuing Hazleton the most damage, totalling 18 points while going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc to lead Delhi with a team high 18 points. 

Next up: Hazleton earns their second straight loss but the young lineup gets another game under their belt with the Penn State University Athletic Conference season set to get underway next week. The Lions first opponent will be Penn State Brandywine who will pay the Lions a visit on Tuesday, November 19 for a 6:00 p.m. tip off.