Photo courtesy of Sports Information
by Dan DiLizia, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna men’s basketball team suffered a tough 66-62 overtime loss to the Scranton on Wednesday, Feb 5. at the John Long Center in Scranton, Pa.
During the first half, both teams stayed even until the River Hawks exploded on a 10-0 run that brought the score to 16-6 at the 10:49 mark.
Susquehanna lengthened its lead to 11 with 2:46 remaining in the half thanks to a basket made by sophomore guard/forward Jay Martin and headed into halftime leading 27-17.
Neither team had the edge from downtown in the first 20 minutes, as the two sides combined to shoot 1-of-21 from behind the arc, with junior guard Bryce Butler being the only one to hit a three-ball.
Five rebounds from Martin allowed the River Hawks to surge ahead 24-16, also picking up 10 points off of seven Scranton turnovers.
As the second half began, Susquehanna came out strong, going on a 5-2 run and increasing their lead to 32-19 on successful baskets from junior guard Matt LaCorte and sophomore guard Danny Frauenheim.
Scranton found their bearings afterward and notched an 18-4 run over the next six minutes to regain a one-point lead fueled by three three-pointers from Jackson Danzig.
Jack Brockett of the Royals also scored a three-pointer to give Scranton a four-point lead. Susquehanna then retook the lead with a run lead by Butler who contributed five points to a 9-0 run, bringing the score to 50-45.
Scranton didn’t let up however, and with just over one minute left in regulation, the Royals managed to tie the game at 52.
The River Hawks had back-to-back opportunities after a 30-second timeout to take the lead but couldn’t quite accomplish it and the teams headed into overtime.
Upon the beginning of the overtime period, the Royals quickly gained a six-point advantage on two three-pointers, as the River Hawks had difficulty keeping up.
Susquehanna managed to trim the Royals’ lead to two twice during overtime but fell short as Scranton remained ahead on the scoreboard when the final buzzer sounded.
Following the difficult loss to Scranton, Susquehanna tallied a dominant win over Elizabethtown 92-67 in another Landmark Conference matchup on Saturday, Feb 8. in Selinsgrove, allowing them to remain in third in the conference standings.
In the beginning of the first half, the teams performed at a similar level, with neither able to claim a significant advantage. This changed during the final nine minutes of the first half, however, as the River Hawks outscored the visitors 21-7 to gain a 44-30 lead heading into halftime.
Wyatt Hockenberry led all scorers at this time with nine points, while Susquehanna sophomores Frauenheim and Martin each racked up seven points in the first 20 minutes.
LaCorte was a key figure in the game as well, tallying three triples with 13 total points scored. Senior forward Zachary Knecht notched 11 points and Martin and sophomore forward Wes Simons each achieved a team-best five rebounds.
As the second half began, the Blue Jays came out hot, scoring five out of the first eight points. The River Hawks, however, were quickly able to take the reins again via a 29-12 run, bringing the score to 76-47.
Elizabethtown had no answer against the Susquehanna rush, as the River Hawks collected 15 points off of 14 Blue Jay giveaways
“The past few games we have been struggling to make shots and put the ball in the basket, but that was not the case against Elizabethtown,” LaCorte said. “This was a great team win and I think it will boost our confidence and allow us to get back to making shots consistently.”
Susquehanna will next face Catholic in a Landmark Conference game on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. in Washington DC.
