Men's Basketball returns to win column, knocks off Penn State Schuylkill, 75-67

POTTSVILLE, Pa. - Penn State Hazleton rallied late to complete a 75-67 comeback win over Penn State University Athletic Conference rival Penn State Schuylkill on Thursday night at Martz Hall. The win snaps a two-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions, who won their first two games of the season.

Hazleton (3-2, 1-0 PSUAC) trailed 40-34 at halftime, despite holding as big as an 11-point lead. Schuylkill (0-5, 0-2 PSUAC) charged ahead in a back-and-forth affair, and would extend their lead to as many as 14 with a little over 13 minutes remaining in the game.

Junior Dwayne Vines sparked a 14-4 Hazleton rally, including Vines' six points in a two minute stretch, that cut the Nittany Lions deficit to four at 56-52. The teams traded blows until Hazleton finally broke through with their first lead of the second half on a Jacob Solano jump shot for a 61-60 advantage. After trading more baskets, the score edged to a 67-67 tie with just under three minutes remaining.

Freshman Royce Brathwaite broke the stalemate with two made free throws, and also added a jumper as Hazleton finished the game with an 8-0 run. Solano and freshman Jordan Singletary each contributed 16 points for the Nittany Lions, while Brathwaite added 14. Each player came off the bench to do their damage, and Singletary added a career-high 12 rebounds in 31 minutes of action.

Schuylkill was led by Beneiko Harris with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Schuylkill also held the edge on the boards, collecting 40 to Hazleton's 34. But Hazleton did a better job at turning Lions mistakes into points, forcing 22 turnovers that led to 19 points. The Nittany Lions bench also had a major impact on the game, as they won that battle 48-16.

Hazleton will travel south to meet PSUAC conference foe Penn State York on Friday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m. before heading into a week long break.