Photo By John Mickens
By Dustin Waleff, Asst. Sports Editor
The Susquehanna University men’s basketball will be heading back to the NCAA tournament after scoring a 76-43 victory over Moravian in the Landmark Conference semi-finals on Feb. 26 in Selinsgrove, Pa. and an 86-69 victory over Scranton in the Landmark Conference Championship on Saturday, Feb. 29 in Selinsgrove, Pa.
Against Moravian, Susquehanna started quickly, jumping out to a 10-0 lead two minutes in, forcing the Greyhounds to call a timeout to try and settle down.
Following the timeout, Moravian’s Addis Ralph knocked down a three-point shot to get the visitors on the board four minutes into the game.
Susquehanna’s defensive pressure continued to cause problems for Moravian, as the River Hawks used a 16-7 run to extend the lead to 26-10 with eight minutes to play in the first half.
The Greyhounds responded using a 15-3 run to cut the Susquehanna lead to four with two minutes to go. Following the Greyhounds’ run, Susquehanna responded with an 8-0 run themselves to end the half and take a 37-25 lead into the break.
As the second half got underway, the Susquehanna audience provided the energy that the River Hawks needed to shut down the Greyhounds.
“The support we received from the fans last night, especially the other student-athletes on campus, means everything to us,” junior guard Bryce Butler said. “We were able to feed off the incredible energy from the crowd to play with great enthusiasm. Having that many people there gave us a little bit more motivation to get the win.”
In the opening five minutes of the second half, the River Hawks used a 15-0 run to blow the game open, extending the score to 52-25.
Offensively, Moravian had no response for Susquehanna, as the River Hawks continued to pour it on, increasing the lead to 74-33.
Susquehanna’s defense led the way forcing 24 turnovers, with a season-high 17 steals leading to 28 points.
Sophomore guards Lukas Yurasits and Danny Frauenheim led the way offensively, as Yurasits put up 22 points and Frauenheim scored 12 of his own.
Butler fueled the team on the defensive end with a strong performance, helping to limit the Greyhounds to 43 points on 17-51 shooting.
Following the win, River Hawks defeated the Scranton Royals 86-69 to win the Landmark Conference Championship on Feb. 29 in Selinsgrove, Pa to earn the Landmark conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
It was a back and forth affair early on with both teams exchanging the lead multiple times in the first 10 minutes. Susquehanna’s largest lead stood at six, while Scranton’s largest lead remained at four.
Senior captain Zack Knecht’s fast-break layup sparked a 17-9 run by the River Hawks to give Susquehanna a 31-19 lead with 4:47 to go in the half.
During the run, the River Hawks got a combined 15 points from Yurasits, who scored six points, Frauenheim, who scored five points, and Butler, who added four points.
Yurasits led Susquehanna in scoring with 25 points en route to being named Landmark Conference Championship game MVP
“To be honest, seeing my first shot come off, I thought to myself, this better not be the rest of the night, but then the next possession I got another great look and knocked it down and that’s when the confidence rose and the basket got really big,” Yurasits said.
Scranton responded with a 13-3 run to pull within two points before sophomore center Wes Simons sent the River Hawks into the break with a 36-32 lead.
Following the break, Scranton used an 11-6 run to take their first lead since early in the first half 43-42 with 17:23 to play.
Susquehanna responded with a 25-13 run over the next nine minutes to take a 67-56 lead following a Knecht layup.
Scranton then cut the River Hawk lead to nine, but the Royals wouldn’t get any closer as Susquehanna would score 17 of the final 26 points of the game, giving the River Hawks an 86-69 win and the program’s first Landmark Conference title.
“It means the world to me and the team,” Knecht said. “This season had ups and downs, but we always stuck together. To be the first-ever is special and something that can never happen again, and we are excited to be a part of history.”
Susquehanna’s defense again stifled its opponent, forcing the Royals into 24 turnovers, with 16 steals led once again by Butler.
Following the Championship game, the River Hawks will be matched up against Benedictine (Illinois) at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6 in Springfield, Ohio, in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
Susquehanna head coach Frank Marcinek was also named the Landmark Conference coach of the year, his fourth time being named coach of the year in his 31-year career.
Additionally, Frauenheim was named to the All-Landmark conference first-team, while Yurasits and Junior Matt LaCorte were named to the All-Landmark conference second-team.
