No. 3 Lady Lions improve to 7-2 with ease over PSU Scranton

HAZLETON, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State Hazleton built a 15-point first quarter advantage and never looked back in a 65-39 victory over visiting Penn State Scranton on Tuesday night in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium.

The Lady Lions (7-2, 2-1 PSUAC) slowly built their lead and cruised to their second straight conference win. Three starters finished in double figures in points while three also finished with 10 or more rebounds as Hazleton dominated the glass throughout the contest.

Top Performers

Sophomore McKenzie Prutsman (Jasper, NY) chipped in game-highs of 20 points and five steals to lead the Lady Lions, while senior Stephanie Guevara (North Brunswick, NJ) added 16 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for her third double-double of the season. Guevara's five steals tied her with Prutsman for a game-high, while her four assists were best on the night. Joining them in double figures was sophomore Ijonana Laster (Niagara Falls, NY), who finished with 10. 

Junior Jacqlyn Siva-Harrison (South Brunswick, NJ) was strong on the defensive end, pulling down 10 of her 13 rebounds off the defensive glass while also picking up four steals. Sophomore Haley Nalls (York, Pa.) narrowly missed a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points.

Jordan Peters led Scranton with nine points off the bench.

1st Half

A slow start plagued both teams as Hazleton grabbed a 4-0 lead but neither team could find the net for nearly two minutes. Scranton hit a free throw to make it 4-1 with 5:55 remaining in the first quarter, but wouldn't score again in the stanza. Five different Lady Lions would score over the final five minutes to pull away, making it 16-1 after one period.

A back and forth second quarter helped pull Scranton to within 11 at 21-10, but the Lions would never creep closer. Two Prustman free throws stopped the Scranton push and despite a three-pointer with 2:50 left to play in the half, the Lions wouldn't score again as Hazleton would extend their lead to 31-13 after 20 minutes of play.

2nd Half

Hazleton would outscore their visitors 18-9 in the third quarter, using a 12-2 run over the first five minutes of action to make it 43-15. Prutsman led the way with six points during the stretch, as all six Hazleton baskets were layups.

Leading 49-22 after three quarters, Hazleton slowed down the pace and held onto their large advantage despite being outscored 17-16 in the final period.

Next Up: Hazleton finishes their first half of the season with a trip to Penn State York on Friday, December 9th. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.