Lions bounce back with win at Scranton

Dunmore, Pa. - Thursday was a nice change of pace for the Nittany Lions who overcame a three game skid with a 72-47 victory at Penn State Scranton and improving their record to 10-6 in the PSUAC.

Hazleton was without several players on Thursday but despite the absences the Lions managed to post some of their best offensive numbers since play resumed in January. The score remained close in the early stages of play until Hazleton made an 8-0 run to close out the quarter. Sophomore Emily Titus (Tamaqua, Pa.) sparked the run with a traditional two point basket and the Lions got a pair of triples from freshmen Alexa Tihansky (Hazleton, Pa.) and junior Abriana Wills (Childersburg, Al.) to go up 22-11 after the first intermission. 

Hazleton would nearly double their 11 point cushion with another great effort in the second period. None were better than freshman Rocky Curry (Darby, Pa.) who dominated the court to the tune of seven points, eight rebounds and one assist in the period. Freshman Cassandra Rodriguez added a two of her three makes from long distance in the game to notch eight points in the quarter and help give the Lions a 44-24 lead at the midway point. 

Scoring would drop slightly in the second half but it was a stress-free 20 minutes of basketball for the Lions who finished the game with eight players breaking into the scoring column. Curry matched a season high in scoring with 15 points but her season-best 21 rebounds proved to be a difference-maker in the win. Three other Nittany Lions reached double-figures in the win including Wills who went 5-for-12 from the field to total 14 points, Rodriguez with a game-high 17 points and Tihansky who posted an efficient 5-of-7 from the floor for 11 points. 

Next up: Hazleton will play their final regular season home game on Saturday, February 12 when the Lions host Penn State Wilkes-Barre for a 1:00 p.m. tip off.