Lions fall to Mont Alto 46-39

Hazleton, Pa. - The Nittany Lions suffered a setback on Tuesday, falling to Penn State Mont Alto 46-39. Both teams struggled shooting with Hazleton firing at 25.5 percent clip while Mont edged the Lions by the slimmest of margins at 36.5 percent. The Lions won the turnover battle and were effective from the free throw line, but Mont Alto came away the winner by out-rebounding the Hazleton squad by 11 boards and converting 17-of-20 from the charity stripe as Hazleton racked up 17 personal fouls in the losing effort. 

Hazleton shot just 14 percent from the field in the first half but despite the difficulties, Mont Alto managed just a five point advantage at the midway point. Hazleton erupted in the third period, going on a 7-0 run following a triple by first year Aislinn Chaffin and jumpers from second year players Brianna Kennedy and Lillian Whitenight. The Lions continued to roll as the period progressed, ultimately out-scoring Mont Alto 15-2 until there was one minute remaining in the period to build an eight point lead. Mont Alto cashed in two late buckets in the final minute before fourth year Azaria Johnson ended the quarter with a pair of free throws to give the Lions a 31-26 edge going into the final 10 minutes of play.  But Hazleton's lead wouldn't hold up for long as the Lions lost momentum coming out of the intermission. Mont Alto chipped away and moved past the Lions with straight points, shutting out Hazleton for over a five minute stretch of play. Hazleton kept it close against the visitors, but the Lions repeatedly came up short on the offensive end in the fourth quarter, earning just two field goals and four free throws down the stretch as Mont Alto came away with the narrow victory. 

 On a tough shooting night, just two Nittany Lions finished the game in double-figures. Brianna Kennedy topped all scorers for Hazleton with 15 points, adding 11 rebounds and five steals while Azaria Johnson totaled 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting in the loss. 

Hazleton will need to hit the reset button in a hurry to get back into the fourth position in the PSUAC East. Hazleton will travel to Penn State York on Tuesday, February 10th before wrapping up the regular season with a pair of games against Lehigh Valley and Scranton.