Hazleton swats Falcons 74-46 to stay unbeaten

HAZLETON, Pa. - Despite shooting just 32 percent from the field, Penn State Hazleton pulled away in the second half against Davis College for a 74-46 win in the Dr. Thomas Caccese Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

The Lady Lions' (3-0, 0-0 PSUAC) home opener ended similarly to their previous two contests, with senior Alexis Daly (Wyalusing, Pa.) leading the way with 18 points. A 25-point outburst in the third quarter gave Hazleton a comfortable 23-point lead heading into the final stanza, extending what was a five point lead at the half. 

1st Half: Both teams struggled from the field in the first half, as Hazleton shot 28 percent while holding their visitors to 24 percent shooting. Daly led all scorers with nine points in the first half, also pulling down seven rebounds. Dodd grabbed eight boards and scored eight points for the Lady Lions who held a 17-11 advantage after quarter one. 

Hazleton dominated the glass, outrebounding Davis, 37-22. The impressive numbers were boosted by 17 offensive rebounds for the Lions, as both Daly and sophomore Jacqlyn Siva-Harrison (South Brunswick, NJ) scrapped for five boards on the offensive end. Those offensive rebounds led to points, as Hazleton recorded 11 second chance points and eight points in the paint. 

Davis got on the board first, but Hazleton would tie the score at 2-2 and after another basket would not trail again in the half.

2nd Half: Leading 33-28 after two, Hazleton used an 11-3 run to quickly take a 44-31 advantage with 6:31 left in the third. Daly then scored six points in the matter of 40 seconds to spark a 14-4 run that helped Hazleton build their largest lead to that point.

Freshman Kassie Ferdinand (Mountain Top, Pa.) ended the third quarter with a three-pointer, then started off the fourth quarter with a left-handed lay-up. The Lady Lions controlled the ball to chew up clock in the quarter, but also managed to improve their shooting, going 8-for-19 from the floor.

Top Performers: Dodd recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while junior Stephanie Guevara (North Brunswick, NJ) added 15 points, five steals and nine rebounds for Hazleton. Daly added nine rebounds to go along with her game-high 18 points.

Alainey Banks led the Falcons with 13 points.

Next up: The Lions were originally scheduled to travel to Central Penn College on Friday night, Nov. 13th. That game has been rescheduled to Jan. 12th at 7:00 p.m.

The schedule change gives Hazleton a week of rest before heading to Lycoming College on Tuesday, Nov. 17th for a 7:00 p.m. tip.