Nittany Lions Down Rival, Earn First Home Win of 2016
Dixon, Kelly score big to down Mountain Lions
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
36 | 38 | 74 |
|
|
32 | 49 | 81 |
Team Stats
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
| Game Statistics | Penn State Wilkes-Barre | Penn State Scranton |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-64) | (30-56) |
| Field Goal % | 39.1% | 53.6% |
| Rebounds | 24 | 33 |
| Assists | 14 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 4 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 5 | 7 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 16 | 14 |
By John Brindle
The Nittany News
On one of the coldest nights of the year, Penn State Worthington Scranton Nittany Lions and the Wilkes Barre Mountain Lions continued their biggest rivalry. Last year the Mountain Lions dismantled the PSUAC Championship aspirations of the Nittany Lions in a first round playoff game, downing Scranton 81-74. But the Nittany Lions played with vengeance and kept their playoff hopes alive this season overcoming the rival, interestingly enough with the same score on the board as last seasons match up, 81-74.
Coming off being named player of the week, senior forward Hasiin Dixon, came up big with another double-double, leading the team with 30 points and 15 Rebounds. Sophomore forward Kyle Kelly also contributed big to the win dropping 21 points and the Nittany Lions bench added 14 .
Hasiin Dixon is now first in points per game and second in rebounds per game in the PSUAC. The win puts the Nittany Lions over .500, their record now 4-3, currently places them fourth in the conference.
Although the Nittany Lions almost tripled the Mountain Lions in turnovers, they more than made up for the mistakes with their sharp shooting, 53% from the floor, and domination on the boards, out rebounding Wilkes Barre 28-17.
Wilkes Barre's mistakes would lead to their eventual loss. About halfway through the second half mental errors began. Two straight fouls committed by Wilkes Barre followed by two straight turnovers swung the momentum to the Nittany Lions, capped off by a 9 point run. The run proved to be too much for the Mountain Lions to overcome, never taking the lead again.
Now with the potential for a legitimate playoff berth the Nittany Lions host two PSUAC teams this weekend. With nine games left in the season and five of them at home, Scranton looks to clean up the errors in practice and look forward to the rest of the season determined on taking one of the six playoff spots.
