Lady Lions slip in the fourth quarter at Scranton

Dunmore, Pa. - Fresh off their first conference win of the season, Hazleton endeavored to make it two in a row on Wednesday night when they visited Penn State Scranton. They Lady Lions led at halftime and trailed by just three points heading into the final stanza but Hazleton connected on just two field goals leading up to the final whistle, seeing Scranton pull ahead for a 19 point victory over the Lady Lions.

Trailing early in the first, the Lady Lions stormed ahead with a combined 21 point effort between senior Mckenzie Prutsman (Jasper, Ny.) and sophomore Kendra Pfeil. Prutsman was red hot from mid-range while Pfeil poured in three triples over the final six minutes in change as Hazleton created a seven point advantage heading into the second period. The duo stayed hot in the second frame, connecting on 5-of-7 shots in period to maintain an eight point lead with under a minute to play in the half. But Scranton closed the gap with a seven point run led by Monique Hicks in the final minute, cutting Hazleton's cushion to just one point at halftime. 

Hazleton would fall behind by as many as eight points in the third quarter and half to rally late in the third to keep pace with Scranton. A Prutsman free throw early in the fourth quarter would trim the Scranton lead to two points at 61-59 but Hazleton would go ice cold over the next eight minutes of action, allowing Scranton to run away for an 82-63 win over Hazleton.

Prutsman would finish the night with a game high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field, adding six rebounds and five assists to her credit. Pfeil ended the game as the only other Lady Lion in double figures, connecting on four triples in the outing and totaling 20 points on the evening. 

Next up: The Lady Lions continue Penn State University Athletic Conference play on Saturday, playing host to Penn State Wilkes-Barre at 1:00 p.m.