Penn State DuBois freshman Grant Grimaldi pushes up his shot from the paint during a recent home game against Penn State Beaver at the PAW Center
DUBOIS, Pa. — Closing out the regular season at home at the PAW Center, the Nittany Lions and Lady Lions of Penn State DuBois saw split results in their final games. Both the men’s and women’s teams played host to Penn State Beaver last Wednesday, in what was the final regular season games for both campuses.
Leading off with the women’s game, Penn State DuBois found themselves holding a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Lions’ tight defense and strong rebounding by DuBois limited Penn State Beaver to only four made field goals in the quarter and DuBois held a 15-12 lead.
However, the second quarter saw the tide turn, as Beaver picked up their scoring efforts while upping their defense as well. Beaver held DuBois scoreless in the second quarter until nearly the five-minute mark and only allowed six total points in the quarter.
When all was said and done, Beaver went into the locker room at halftime with a 30-21 lead. This proved to be too much to overcome as DuBois saw their struggles with shooting and turnovers continue in the second half, only scoring another 20 points in the game.
Beaver used higher scoring numbers in the third quarter to extend their lead and secured the win in the fourth quarter by a final score of 68-41.
Shannon Shaw led the Lady Lions in scoring, netting nine points, while Sarah Huston and Megan Hyde put in great effort on the boards, grabbing six rebounds each. Shaw and Tara Leamer also pulled in five rebounds for DuBois.
Penn State DuBois sophomore Shannon Shaw attempts a three-point shot during a recent home game against Penn State Beaver at the PAW Center
On the men’s side, Penn State DuBois was looking to even the season series with Penn State Beaver, after DuBois traveled to Beaver 11 days prior and suffered at 70-56 defeat.
In the first half of the game on Wednesday, Grant Grimaldi, Christopher Frontera and Ashton Fortson each scored eight points as DuBois shot nearly 50% from the field. Despite that fact, Beaver went into the locker room at halftime with a one-point lead 41-40.
In the second half, the Nittany Lions came out looking to continue a strong defensive effort to try and get the win against Beaver. They did just that; while Beaver shot the ball well, percentage-wise, in the second half, DuBois did not allow an offensive rebound, forced five turnovers defensively, and hit six three-pointers in a hard fought second half.
With a four-point lead for DuBois with 19 seconds left in regulation, Fortson hit two free throws to seal the game and the Nittany Lions secured the win by a final score of 76-70.
Fortson was the leading scorer for DuBois, who had four players score in double digits. Fortson scored 17 points, while Grimaldi, Frontera and Jaiquil Johnson each scored 14 points for the Nittany Lions. Grimaldi also secured eight rebounds in the game, including six offensively. Forntera, Nate Cornelius and Jadon Myers each had two steals defensively in the winning effort.
These two games marked the end of the winter sports season for Penn State DuBois. The women’s basketball team finished their season with a record of 8-15, while the men’s team finished with a record of 10-17.
For complete athletic schedules, visit the Penn State DuBois athletic website at psuduboisathletics.com.
