Penn State DuBois basketball teams gearing up for final two games of the season

Penn State DuBois freshman guard Frances Milliron drives for a layup during a recent home game at the PAW Center.

Penn State DuBois freshman guard Frances Milliron drives for a layup during a recent home game at the PAW Center.

Credit: Penn State

DuBOIS, Pa. — The men’s and women’s basketball teams at Penn State DuBois find themselves closing in on the end of their season long journeys. Starting back in the first week of November, the season now comes down to the final two games, both of which will be played at home at the PAW Center.

Starting last week off right, the Lady Lions got back in the win column when they hosted Penn State Mont Alto at the PAW Center. This game saw two evenly matched teams play a tight game throughout. DuBois got out to a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter, which carried over into halftime after the two teams played an even second quarter, each scoring 13 points. Then, at the end of the third quarter, Mont Alto got that single point back and the game was tied at 31 heading into the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, Shannon Shaw hit a three-pointer early on to give DuBois the lead. Both teams exchanged buckets with DuBois holding the lead throughout that time.

That changed at the 1:27 mark of the fourth quarter when Meagan Smith hit two free throws to give Mont Alto a one-point lead, 43-42. DuBois then made three free throws of their own within a 15 second time period to take the lead back at 48-45.

What followed was a feverish final 19 seconds of the game. Following a timeout by Mont Alto, Colette Salyers made a layup while being fouled and made the corresponding free throw as well to tie the game again at 48. With the basketball on the offensive end, Frances Milliron was fouled with six seconds left. This gave her two free throws to try to give the Lady Lions the lead. Milliron missed the first but was able to find the bottom of the net on the second to give DuBois a one-point lead. Mont Alto had a shot at the end of regulation, but it was no good and the Lady Lions were able to hold on for the one-point win, 49-48.

Milliron led DuBois in scoring with 16 points, while also having three assists and two steals. Three other Lady Lions scored nine points in the game as well, Shaw, Sarah Huston, and Kelsey Stuart.

On Saturday, Penn State DuBois made the trip to PSUAC west division leading Penn State Beaver. Although the Lady Lions shot the ball well in the first half, Beaver’s defense was tough and forced nine turnovers in the first quarter and 12 in the second quarter. This led to Beaver taking the lead into the locker room at halftime, 46-24. The deficit proved to be too much for DuBois to come back from as they fell to Beaver 84-50. Shaw and Milliron both scored in double figures for the Lady Lions, scoring 15 points and 10 points respectively.

On the men’s side, the Nittany Lions opened the week hosting Penn State Mont Alto at the PAW Center. A highly competitive first half that saw 12 lead changes, both DuBois and Mont Alto shot over 50% from the field. When the buzzer sounded for halftime, Mont Alto held a six-point lead, 41-35. In the second half, the Nittany Lions worked hard and got the Mont Alto lead down as low as one point. But, in the end, they couldn’t get fully over that hurdle, as DuBois fell to Mont Alto 68-65. Jaiquil Johnson had a great scoring night for the Nittany Lions, netting 22 points in 28 minutes of gametime.

Grant Grimaldi also scored in double-figures for DuBois with 10 points, while Beau Verdill pulled in eight rebounds in the contest.

Penn State DuBois traveled to meet Penn State Beaver for the first time on Saturday. Despite an overall balanced scoring effort, the Nittany Lions found themselves trailing at halftime 32-25. DuBois struggled to find their shooting touch in the second half and Beaver was able to build upon their lead to secure the win by a final score of 70-56. Johnson led DuBois in scoring, netting 14 points in the contest. Will Helton also scored in double-digits with 11 points.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will play their final two games of the season at home at the PAW Center. On Saturday, Penn State Greater Allegheny travels to DuBois for west division battles in the PSUAC. Both the Nittany Lions and Lady Lions will be looking to even the season series with Greater Allegheny after both teams lost their matchups earlier in the season. The women’s game will tip off at 1 p.m. with the men’s game to follow at 3 p.m. Saturday will also be senior day at the PAW Center, with senior basketball players for Penn State DuBois being recognized.

The Nittany Lions and Lady Lions will both close out their seasons on Feb. 22 when they host Penn State Beaver. The women’s game will tip at 6 p.m. and the men’s game will follow at 8 p.m.

For complete athletic schedules, visit the Penn State DuBois athletic website at psuduboisathletics.com.