Men's Basketball Remains Hot, Defeats Penn State Hazleton

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. - Penn State Schuylkill Men's Basketball extended their winning streak to four games following a win over PSUAC opponent Penn State Hazleton on Thursday.

Consecutive three-point baskets by Amir Gray (Washington, DC / Quince Orchard High School) and Andrew Sepp (Bogota, NJ / Saint Mary High School) gave Schuylkill a 6-0 lead to begin Thursday night's contest. Schuylkill continued to apply pressure as another bucket by Gray gave Schuylkill a 3-3 start from the field, prompting a Hazleton timeout. Another Schuylkill run out of the timeout gave them a 17-4 lead with 14:46 to play in the first, forcing yet another Hazleton timeout.

With Hazleton bringing their deficit to 8 points and looking to make a run, back-to-back three pointers by Makhi Jones (Harrisburg, PA / Susquehanna Township High School) gave Schuylkill a 14-point cushion with 3:03 remaining in the first. Jones and Dashawn Dixon (Baltimore, MD / Catonsville High School) accounted for all 13 of Schuylkill's points during the final 3:13 of the first half, giving Schuylkill a 45-30 lead heading into halftime.

An early run to begin the second half saw Hazleton bring their deficit to 47-42 with 15:50 left in the contest. As the second unit entered the contest, Bryce Hensley (Auburn, PA / Blue Mountain High School) and Lamine Diop (Cincinnati, OH / Finneytown High School) accounted for 10 consecutive Schuylkill points, extended their lead back to double-digits. A pair of made free throws by Jones capped off a 12-3 Schuylkill run, granting them a 14-point lead with 11:15 to play.

A pair of made free throws by Dixon pushed Schuylkill's lead to 21 points with 7:51 remaining in action. Schuylkill led by as many as 26 points during the final minutes of the contest.

Jones led Schuylkill in scoring, dropping 17 points off the bench. Gray scored 16 points while Dixon added 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Sepp finished with 11 points in the victory.

Schuylkill (8-11 overall, 5-4 PSUAC) will look to add on to their winning streak as they travel to Penn State Brandywine on Saturday. Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m.