By Anthony Heller
SCRANTON, Pa.- Susquehanna Men’s Basketball played a close away game at Scranton on Wednesday night. Scranton’s Jackson Danzig’s 32-point game propelled the Royals to victory. Despite having all five starters in double figures on the night, the River Hawks fell short against a Scranton side that shot 62% from the field over the two halves.
The River Hawks excelled on the glass but found few opportunities to rebound. The Royals missed 20 of 52 attempts from the field. Senior guard Howie Rankine Jr. led the way with 10 points, followed by Brandon Lavitt- the team leader in rebounds- who had seven on the night.
Susquehanna’s bench did not influence the game the way 34th-year Head Coach Frank Marcinek hoped, as they managed six bench points on the night, three each for sophomore Marcus Mitchell and first-year Billy Anderson. With nine of 10 starters playing for more than 30 minutes, only one substitute scored more than three points, with EJ Matthews-Spratley of Scranton scoring 11.
Each team had five players scoring in double figures, with one above 20. Scranton’s Danzig led with 32 points, while Rankine paced the visitors with 21. All five River Hawk starters added at least 10, with Quincy Haughton’s 17- the second-best figure having scored 12 of the team’s first 18 points. Lavitt added 14 of his own, while fellow first-years Jackson Van Wagener and Audric Washington scored 10 points each.
Both Rankine and Washington would foul out of the game in the final moments as the River Hawks tried to close a three-point gap. Matthews-Spratley iced the game by making two free throws with five seconds left and Van Wagener failed to close the gap with a late three-point attempt.
The defeat leaves Susquehanna and Scranton level in third place in the Landmark Conference, with both teams coming in at 6-3. They split the regular season series for the third year in a row. The River Hawks have struggled at the Long John Center, losing their last three trips, and standing at 3-14 against the Royals. The River Hawks are 11-9 overall this season and play next against Drew at O.W. Houts Gymnasium on Saturday.
