Late rally comes up short at Mont Alto

Mont Alto, Pa. - The Nittany Lions fell to 2-1 in the PSUAC on Tuesday night with their first conference loss of the year following their visit to Penn State Mont Alto. Hazleton rallied late to total 18 fourth quarter points but the Lions came up one point shy of extending the game, falling to Mont Alto by the score of 47-46. 

A low scoring first period led to a close match up throughout the evening. Hazleton pulled ahead for a five point lead early in the contest but the Lions were held without a bucket for nearly a seven minute stretch of play, allowing Mont Alto to carry a slim advantage into the halftime break at 22-19. Mont Alto pulled ahead by nine points following a 6-0 late in the third period but Hazleton responded with baskets from first year Aislinn Chaffin and fourth year Azaria Johnson to close the gap to four points heading into the fourth period. Hazleton continued to shrink the deficit and tied the game at 35 on lay-up from second year Topaz Williams-Fripp but a five-point burst from Mont Alto left the Lions in catch-up mode for the final six minutes of play. With Hazleton trailing 46-41 and one minute to play, Chaffin scored a clutch jumper to trim make it a one possession game but a quick foul sent Mont Alto to the line where they connected on 1-of-2 and pushed the game back to two possessions. Hazleton was unable to connect on three attempts in the final 30 seconds of play, until a triple at the horn by Williams-Fripp brought the game to close at 47-46 in favor of Mont Alto. 

Hazleton struggled from the field in this one, shooting just 29.3 percent from the field on 17-of-58 shooting. Despite a valiant effort from the free throw line and winning the turnover battle, Hazleton left a lot of opportunities slip away in the narrow defeat. Williams-Fripp led three Lions in double-figures on Tuesday, notching 15 points and seven rebounds. Johnson added 13 points and three steals on the night while second year Brianna Kennedy totaled 12 points with nine rebounds and five assists in the loss. 

Hazleton will look to bounce back when they return to their home court on Friday, December 6 when the Lions face Penn State Greater Allegheny at 6:00 p.m. in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium.