Box Score Box Score
JERSEY CITY, N.J. --- The Lycoming College men’s basketball team improved to 5-0 on the road this season after defeating New Jersey City University 71-56 on Monday, Jan. 4. Eight different Warriors recorded points in the win.
Lycoming was down 5-2 in the first 1:32 of the game, but it did not take senior guard Eric Anthony (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Central Catholic) long to find the basket, tying the game at five apiece with a three-pointer. Once junior forward Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) hit a jumper to give the Warriors (10-2) the lead, the Lycoming offense controlled the rest of the game.
Freshman Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King Regional) hit the Warriors’ second three-pointer of the game to go up 10-5, followed by a Jerald Williams steal that led to a Johnathan Williams (Bronx, N.Y./Rive) fast break layup, putting Lycoming up 12-5 with 13:40 remaining in the first half. Davis hit another three-ball to cap a 10-0 run by the Warriors.
The Gothic Knights (5-4) cut the Warrior lead to seven after a layup followed by an and-one free throw. Lycoming rattled off an 8-0 run to build its lead to 23-8. The pair of Anthony and Mike Bradley each hit a pair of free-throws in the run. Both players shoot perfectly from the line, Anthony going eight-for-eight and Bradley hitting four-for-four.
With 2:52 left in the first half, Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep.) scored a layup on a Davis steal to give the Warriors their biggest lead of the game, 36-18. New Jersey City cut into Lycoming’s advantage to end the half with the Warriors up 38-23.
New Jersey City opened the second half with a 13-3 run to pull within five points of the Warrior lead, 41-36. The Gothic Knight streak was enough to give the Warriors a scare, sparking a 16-4 scoring run of their own, building to a 57-40 advantage in just 5:09.
Down the stretch, the Warriors utilized one of their best free throw shooting games of the season. In the final eight minutes, Lycoming hit nine free throw attempts on 12 shots to seal the victory.
Anthony led the game in scoring with 17 points, while also adding four rebounds and two steals. He missed just two shots in the game, going three-for-five from the field, including three-for-three from beyond the arc. Davis was second in scoring, putting up 12 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and four steals.
Kelly narrowly missed a double-double, recording nine points and hauling in 10 rebounds, eight of which came on defense. Sophomore forward Austin Smith (Lansdowne, Pa./Penn Wood) also tallied nine points, followed by eight points from Bradley. Jerald Williams and Johnathan Williams each posted seven points. Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) was the key man in the offense, handing out six assists.
As a team, Lycoming shot 20-of-54 on the floor, while also going eight-for-16 from beyond the arc. The Warriors forced the Gothic Knights into 27 turnovers, which included 16 Lycoming steals. New Jersey City’s struggled at the free throw line hitting just eight of their 25 attempts.
Lycoming gets back into its Commonwealth Conference schedule when it heads to Albright College on Saturday, Jan. 9. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. following the Lady Warriors game versus the Lions.
