Men's Basketball earns split with Greater Allegheny, Beaver in crossover match-ups

HAZLETON, Pa. - In a weekend series in western Pennsylvania, Penn State Hazleton split their match-ups with Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State Beaver. Hazleton (5-4, 3-2 PSUAC) dropped the first game of their trip, 87-74, to Greater Allegheny on Saturday before pulling off a rare win on Beaver's home court, 79-75.

PENN STATE HAZLETON - 74, PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY - 87

Three Hazleton players finished in double figures, but scoring was sparse otherwise as Greater Allegheny pulled away late in the second half to score an 87-74 win at home.

Freshman Jacob Solano poured in 19 points and dished out four assists while sophomore Tyreek Fairfax (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Jordan Singletary (Houston, TX) scored 16 points and pulled down 16 rebounds coming off the bench for the Nittany Lions. 

Khari Hicks scored 21 points and Petrie Addison added 20 to lead five Lions players in double figures.

Hazleton struggled from the field, shooting only 36 percent, and despite winning the rebound battle, 55-48, were outscored by 12 points in the paint.

PENN STATE HAZLETON - 79, PENN STATE BEAVER - 75

Penn State Beaver, a perennial contender in the PSUAC and last year's runner-up in the USCAA National Championships, was awaiting the Nittany Lions on Sunday. Again, the teams remained close throughout the game, including a 34-32 Beaver advantage at halftime. A see-saw battle ensued in the second half, but Fairfax hit a free throw with 2:36 remaining to break a 71-71 tie, and the Nittany Lions would not relinquish their lead.

Singletary notched his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds while junior Dwayne Vines scored a team-best 18 points to go along with eight rebounds. Fairfax finished with 16 and Solano 15, while freshman Royce Brathwaite scored 15 points off the bench.

Marcus Smith scored a game-high 22 points for Beaver and Willie James added 18. Beaver led by as many as 12 in the first half, but a late run cut the Hazleton deficit to two prior to the break.

The Nittany Lions outrebounded Beaver 34-28, and shot nearly 53 percent from the field. Despite turning the ball over 20 times in a game that saw seven ties and nine lead changes, Hazleton was able to capitalize with 21 points off of takeaways.

Hazleton returns to PSUAC play with a road trip to Penn State Wilkes-Barre for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday, December 9.