Schmidt, Major, Wagner on defense
91
Penn State Hazleton PENNST~1 3-6
92
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM1213 2-8
Penn State Hazleton PENNST~1
3-6
91
Final
92
Penn State Berks PSBM1213
2-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Penn State Hazleton PENNST~1 39 52 91
Penn State Berks PSBM1213 46 46 92

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's basketball holds off Hazleton for non-conference victory



READING, PA (December 13, 2012) - The Penn State Berks men's basketball team held off a late rally to defeat Penn State Hazleton, 92-91, in a non-conference contest at Beaver Community Center on Thursday evening. (Boxscore)

The Nittany Lions earned their second win after compiling the highest point total of the season. Berks finished with four players in double-digits and finished 39-of-70 (55.7%) shooting from the floor.

For the second time in the last four games, Jeff Schmidt flirted with a triple-double with his 15 points, nine rebound, and eight assists. The senior forward shot 7-of-8 from the field. Schmidt also blocked three shots and had two steals.

Tom Smith matched Schmidt's 15 points to tie for the team lead, while Connor Hough chipped in 14 points and Jim Wagner added 13. Dontez Reid finished with nine points and seven assists, while Dameon Nixon and Darren Major both finished with eight points.

Berks took a 46-39 lead into halftime and led by as much 16 points in the second half. But the hot strong play by Ashkan Naderi and Dwayne Vines aided the Hazleton comeback bid. Vines came off the bench for game-highs in points (26) and rebounds (12). He scored 10 consecutive points for Hazleton during  a four-minute stretch late in the second half. Naderi connected on six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, followed by Casey Petty with 19 points.

Berks used two brilliant defensive plays in the final 15 seconds to preserve the one-point lead. Major blocked a shot by Vines with 13 seconds remaining and was able to grab the rebound. Hazleton was able to get a rebound off a missed foul shot, but Schmidt made a steal at midcourt with six seconds and Berks was able to run out the clock.

Hough put the crowd into a frenzy with a vicious one-handed dunk at the 8:12 mark of the first period. That dunk pulled the Berks deficit to two points after trailing by 10 early on. Schmidt also put on a show with a break-away slam late in the second half.

The Nittany Lions will return to action on Friday, January 4 in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) crossover contest against Wells College in Beaver Community Center at 8 p.m.
Print Friendly Version