Beaver defeats Hazelton in comeback

Hazelton, PA -- Beaver defeats Hazelton in comeback 

By: Chris Rotondo 

Penn State Beaver's Men's basketball took to the road Friday night, defeating Penn State Hazelton 78-69 in their second conference match of the season. 

The first half started with Hazelton making an early lead with two free throws, while junior Will Pierce put Beaver on the scoreboard immediately after with a free throw. An impressive minute of play showed sophomore John Foster making two 3-point jump shots, quickly tying the game at 7. Beaver faced an uphill battle, however; just when Beaver was ahead, Hazelton would successfully tie the game again. Pierce was able to tie the game again at 11 with two jump shots, while freshman Andrew Brady tied it again at 13 with a layup. Hazelton gained a lead again, but it was senior D.J. Austin who tied the game at 19 with a 3-point jump shot. However, Hazelton quickly made a lead that ended the first half 36-38. 

With the second half underway, Beaver was determined to make a comeback. A jump shot by Foster tied the game early on at 38, while Pierce and Brady each made layups. Just as Beaver began to come ahead, Hazelton tied the game once more at 45. But when Hazelton scored, Beaver quickly came back, as they pushed ahead of their opponents. With a little over four minutes left, both teams were tied at 67. Beaver's determination and focus worked out in the end, as they began to control possession of the ball in the final minutes of the game. Layups by Foster and senior Eric Gallupe helped to instantly give Beaver an impressive lead. Beaver won the game with a score of 78-69. 

Beaver is now 2-5 in their season and 1-1 in the PSUAC conference. They will travel to Penn State Schuylkill Saturday to faceoff in another conference match.