Photo and Written By Logan Moyer, Sports Editor
It’s always nice to have a confidence booster. If you ask Brandon Lavitt, it was just what the River Hawks needed.
The men’s basketball team cruised to a 89-65 win over Landmark Conference rivals Goucher (7-13 overall, 5-8 Landmark) on Wednesday night at O.W. Houts Gymnasium. The River Hawks (14-6, 11-2) led for just over 38 minutes (95%) of the contest.
“Everyone on campus comes up to us and asks why all of our games are so close,” Lavitt said. “Today, the message was to put them away early. Let’s win by 20-plus and feel a little bit better about ourselves.”
Lavitt certainly played his part, scoring a season-high 21 points on an efficient 10-13 shooting from the field. He added four steals, and was additionally just one rebound shy of a double-double.
“My teammates kind of made it pretty easy for me today,” Lavitt said. “Our guards just did a really good job of setting me up, I was just happy to be the guy to finish a couple of the plays.”
The 24-point win is a stark contrast to SU’s last game, where they needed a double-digit second half comeback to defeat Elizabethtown, who is sitting outside of the Landmark Conference playoff picture.
“We didn’t come out the way we wanted to on (Saturday),” Lavitt said. “Our thing all year has just been not being able to put two halves together.”
Lavitt wasn’t alone in his offensive success. He was one of five River Hawks to post a double-digit scoring total. Mike Pirone and Steven Ressler each scored 15, Billy Anderson added 14 and Marcus Mitchell contributed 11.
Opportunistic defense and strong rebounding paved the way to success for the River Hawks. The team compiled 14 steals, forcing 20 turnovers while also out-rebounding the Gophers 46-35. The River Hawks scored 22 second-chance points.
“Coach always preaches to do the little things,” Lavitt said. “Diving on loose balls, getting steals. That’s Susquehanna basketball.”
Jacob Morgan led the way for the Gophers, scoring 17 points. Darnell Morris (12 points) and Darrell Green (10) also contributed a double-digit scoring total. Goucher found a lot of success on dribble drives right through the center of SU’s defense.
“We couldn’t get in gaps, we couldn’t stay in front of them,” said SU coach Frank Marcinek. “I was frustrated. I think we’re better than that.”
Up next for the River Hawks is a trip up north to Wilkes-Barre on Saturday to take on Wilkes (15-5, 8-5). The Colonels defeated the River Hawks 87-71 back on Jan. 12.
“They handled us the first time around,” Marcinek said. “I think we’re different, I think we’re a little better. We’re going up to their place, so it’ll be a tough one. Hopefully we can continue to raise the level of our play.”