Men's Basketball: Penn State Mont Alto 67, Penn State Hazleton 52

Hazleton, Pa.- Mont Alto men's basketball continued their conference season on Tuesday evening with a rescheduled matchup against Penn State Hazleton. Mont Alto improved to 16-5 overall and 9-3 in the PSUAC with a 67-52 victory. Veron Talla led the way for Mont Alto with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Lawson Hopkins scored 11 points with three triples in the winning effort. Hazleton starters Shamell Ponds (16) and Andre Campbell (15) were the leading scorers for the home team.

Noah Tenorio provided some early baskets for Hazleton as they took a 5-2 lead out of the gate. Mont Alto tied the game back up at 8 with a Sam Larbi jumper with 18:09 remaining in the half. Following a pair of Shamell Ponds free throws as Mont Alto trailed 17-13, Mont Alto would retake the lead a few possessions later on a Hopkins three pointer to push ahead 20-19. Richard Burke recorded the last bucket of the half for Mont Alto as they went into the locker room at the half with a 33-28 advantage.

Mont Alto quickly pushed the lead to seven as Burke made a layup with 18:09 left in the game as Mont Alto led 38-31. The visitors lead swelled to as much as nine about midway through the half, leading 50-41. Mont Alto continued to grow the lead, moving ahead by 15 multiple times in the second half on their way to a 67-52 win.

Mont Alto Leaders

Veron Talla 24 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks

Lawson Hopkins 11 points, 2 steals

Vincent Frene 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

Hazleton Leaders

Shamell Ponds 16 points, 4 rebounds

Andre Campbell 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals

Up Next: Mont Alto hosts Penn State Lehigh Valley Saturday at 1pm