Photo By Michael Lipscomb and Gabriellen Zulak
By Marquis Frias, Sports Editor
Mario Castro Sanchez’s 25-point performance surged the men’s basketball team past Wilkes 75-72 on Wednesday night at O.W. Houts Gymnasium in Landmark Conference action.
The River Hawks outshot the Colonels from deep, going 10-28 from behind the arc to the Colonel’s 3-17 – an advantage that was useful in a game that ended with Wilkes losing by one possession.
The game began with Susquehanna taking an early 17-16 lead over Wilkes after a Jackson Van Wagener 3-pointer. The shot gave the River Hawks their first lead of the game after Wilkes held on for the first couple minutes of the first half.
After first-year KJ Carson hit two consecutive 3-pointers to give SU a 24-16 lead with eight minutes left in the first, the River Hawks would outscore the Colonels only by three points to close out the first half with a 43-33 lead.
Castro Sanchez led all scorers with 11 points in the game’s first 20 minutes, with Carson also dropping 9 points off three triples for the River Hawks.
With intermission over, the second half saw Susquehanna maintain their lead over the Colonels, with Wilkes continuing to hit shoot after shot to keep the game close.
The exceptional shot-making from Wilkes came in handy during an 8-0 that lasted nearly four minutes. The run from Wilkes cut the River Hawks’ lead to only two points with just four minutes remaining.
Susquehanna answered with a three from Castro Sanchez followed by a dunk from senior Brandon Lavitt to put the River Hawks back in the lead by 7.
The game’s remaining points all came from the free throw line with both teams not scoring a field goal in the last three minutes. The River Hawks made six of their last 10 free throws which was enough to hold off the Colonels.
Castro Sanchez finished with a career-high 25 points off 7-11 shooting and four 3-pointers. The junior from Palencia, Spain, also grabbed four rebounds while dishing out four assists.
“My teammates were just finding me when I was open… credit to them,” Castro Sanchez said. “I think that was one of the keys to the game.”
SU also got help from Carson, who finished with 10 points and two assists, as well as Lavitt with his 8 points and five rebounds for the River Hawks.
“We have been working all summer… I just want to get out there and play hard,” Carson said.
The River Hawks will be back in action at home on Saturday when they take on Moravian at 2 p.m.