Gray drops 29 in road battle at Hazleton

Penn State Schuylkill came out sharp and struck first behind Gray, who buried an early three to make it 3–0 and helped the Lions build momentum with strong activity on the offensive glass. Schuylkill led 9–5 after Gray knocked down another triple, then extended the advantage to 19–14 as Lee Newton finished a dunk in transition (assist from Hadir Boswell) before the first media timeout.

Penn State Hazleton steadied itself with pressure defense and trips to the line, chipping away possession-by-possession. Hazleton pulled even at 27–27 late in the half, then closed the final minute with key plays to take a 34–27 lead into the break.

Schuylkill responded immediately after halftime, opening the second half with a burst to cut it to 34–33 and then pushing within 41–38 after an Issac Lane three. But Hazleton answered with timely buckets and a steady stream of free throws—turning rebounds and transition chances into points—to keep Schuylkill from fully flipping the momentum.

Midway through the half, the Lions kept fighting behind their effort on the boards and Gray's ability to attack the paint. Bryce Hensley finished a layup to make it 45–55, then drilled a three to pull Schuylkill within 55–48. Dekari Harrell added a big corner three (assist from Lane) to tighten it again at 57–51, but Hazleton closed the door at the stripe and in the lane down the stretch. Gray scored at the horn for Schuylkill's final points, but Hazleton's late free throws secured the 72–61 decision.

By the numbers (Schuylkill)

Amir Gray: 29 points (10-20 FG), 2 threes, 7-8 FT, 4 steals, 7 rebounds

Issac Lane: 9 points, 9 rebounds (4 OREBs), 2 assists

Devin Adams Jr.: 4 assists, 4 steals

Bryce Hensley: 9 points on 4-7 shooting, 1 three, 1 block

Rebounding: Schuylkill 36–35 (12 offensive boards)

What swung it

Free throws: Hazleton 25-31 at the line vs. Schuylkill 8-18

Hazleton got balanced scoring from Thomas Loughry (24) and Andre Campbell (22), combining for 18 made free throws.

Next game: Friday, 2/6 at Penn State York — 8:00 PM.