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GRANTHAM, Pa. – Four Lycoming College men’s basketball players finished in double figures in the Commonwealth Conference opener on Wednesday night, but an electric 62 percent effort by Messiah College behind the line helped the Falcons come from 17 behind in the first half to take a 70-67 decision at Brubaker Auditorium.
The Falcons (4-1 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth) hit 13 3-pointers in the game, led by five from Tyler Ritzman and four from brother Trey Ritzman, helping ignite a comeback from down eight points with 12:00 left in the game.
Sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) led the Warriors (5-1 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) with 14 points, four steals and three assists, as he became the 12th player in school history to reach 100 career steals with his first of the night. Sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) added 14 points, six rebounds and three steals and senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) posted 12 points, three rebounds and two steals. Freshman Kevin Anthony (Atlanta, Ga./Bridgton Academy) added 11 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Down by eight points, the Falcons used a 12-5 run to come within a point at 56-55 after a 3-pointer from Tyler Ritzman with 8:30 left. Davis answered with a key 3-pointer and Anthony gave the Warriors a five-point lead with a jumper on a dish from Williams, but the Falcons responded with an 11-0 run over the next 2:40 to take a 66-61 lead after a trey from Trey Ritzman with 3:48 left.
The Falcons kept the pressure on, with a 3-pointer from Tyler Ritzman and a free throw helping them take a seven-point lead, 70-63 with 1:15 left. From there, the Warriors began their frantic comeback, led by Kelly, who hit a jumper to cut the lead to five before he added a layup with 35 seconds left. The Warriors got the ball back with 10 seconds left after a missed 3-pointer by Messiah, but a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer came up short.
Messiah, who shot 48 percent from the field and 64 percent from three in the second stanza, got hot after a Williams layup started the half, as Trey Ritzman hit a pair of threes and Tyler Ritzman also added one during a 9-0 run to cut the lead to three points at 43-40 with 16:51 left. The Warriors were braced for the run, though, and layups from Anthony and McFadden ended the run and giving the team a 47-40 lead.
The Falcons cut the lead back to four points at 47-43 after a free throw from David Fernandez, but the Warriors again answered, as freshman Michael Rudy (Danville, Pa./Danville) hit a deep jumper and senior Sebastian Sabella (Bayside, N.Y./Episcopal School) posted a layup to take an eight-point lead with 12:00 left.
The Warriors started the game with five straight points before Messiah answered with seven straight. From there, Lycoming, which shot a sterling 57 percent (17-for-30) from the field in the first half, took control with a 25-6 run that pit the Warriors ahead 30-13 after a dunk by Anthony off a feed from Williams with 6:46 left in the first half.
The Warriors kept the lead in double figures for the rest of the half, but the Falcons began to heat up from behind-the-arc, as 3-pointers from Brad Bolen and Andy Hawk in the final 2:30 of the half helped the Falcons close within 10 at 41-31 at the break.
Williams posted 12 points to lead the Warriors in the first half, while Anthony posted seven and Kelly and Davis notched six.
David Fernandez led the Falcons with 20 points and five rebounds and Tyler Ritzman added 17 points. Trey Ritzman posted 14 points, four rebounds and four assists and Jeremiah Runkle posted five points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The Warriors head back to Lamade Gym for a big early-season showdown with Albright on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. The game is a rematch of the 2010 Commonwealth Conference Championship game, which the Lions, the preseason favorites in the conference, won 87-74.
