SCRANTON, Pa. – Penn College surrendered a 35-30 halftime lead – being outscored 53-37 in the second half – in an 83-72 setback to Penn State Scranton in a non-conference men's basketball game Friday. The Wildcats fell to 0-1, while the Lions improved to 1-0.

Four Penn College players reached double figures, with Kevin Laurence-El pumping in a team-best 15 points. Chris Johnson finished with 14, and Joseph Mangiero and Thomas Ross each finished with 12 points. Bryce Lonsway recorded nine points and five assists for PCT.

Hasiin Dixon scored a game-high 25 points for the Lions.

Trailing 14-7 with 13:26 left in the opening half, Penn College used a 9-2 scoring run to even the game at 16-16 on a Mangiero trey with 11:12 on the clock. Penn State Scranton countered with a 7-0 spurt, to lead 23-16 at 10:12, but the Wildcats clawed back at took a 31-30 edge on Ross' three with 2:07 left before the break. Jumpers from Johnson and Laurence-El put Penn College ahead 35-30 at halftime.

Penn College took its final lead, 39-37, on a Mangiero jay at 16:52 before the Lions separated with a 12-3 run, spanning four minutes, to lead 49-42. The Wildcats pulled within two, 54-52, after Laurence-El's traditional three-point play, but Scranton pulled ahead and never saw its lead dip below four the remainder of the game.

Penn College returns to action Tuesday, 8 p.m. at Shenadoah University.