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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) posted 17 points and 14 rebounds for his team-high fourth double-double of the season, but the Lycoming College men’s basketball team fell victim of a late surge by the Commonwealth Conference-leading Alvernia University on Saturday afternoon, falling 62-56 at Lamade Gym.
Kelly, who also had two blocks, canned three 3-pointers and moved within single digits of a pair of milestones, as he is three away from becoming the 25th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and six rebounds from becoming the 20th in school history to reach 500 career boards.
The Warriors (12-6 overall, 2-5 Commonwealth) immediately cut into a six-point halftime lead for the Crusaders (11-4 overall, 7-0 Commonwealth), as they scored the first nine points of the second half, with the final two buckets coming on fastbreak layups from junior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep), giving the Warriors a 40-37 lead with 17:59 remaining. A pair of free throws from Kelly extended the lead to four points, but a pair of 3-pointers from Seth Cornell helped the Crusaders tie the game at 44.
After a jumper from senior Sebastian Sabella (Bayside, N.Y./Episcopal School) gave the Warriors a 47-46 lead just under the 12-minute mark, the Crusaders used 11 straight points over the next seven minutes to take a 57-47 lead.
The Warriors made a furious rally to cut the lead to a point, as Kelly hit a layup, then canned a trey off a steal from sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg), forcing an Alvernia timeout. Another turnover led to a foul and sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) hit both free throws before a missed Crusader layup led to a layup from freshman Kevin Anthony (Atlanta, Ga./Bridgton Academy), making it 57-56 with 1:21 left.
However, a layup from Tad Gillis ended the run with 1:03 left and a Warrior turnover led to a free throw from Cornell. A pair of missed shots by the Warriors set up a game-ending layup from Cornell.
The Crusaders, led by the conference’s leading scorer in Charles Swiggett, took a 12-4 lead in the first five and a half minutes and extended the lead to 11 at 25-14 before a layup from Anthony ended the run. A 3-pointer from Kelly and a fastbreak layup from Williams cut the lead to 25-21 with 6:34 left and another layup from Kelly with 44 seconds left in the half got the Warriors within two points at 33-31, but a pair of layups from Alvernia helped it take a six-point lead at the break.
Bradley notched eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks for Lycoming and Davis and Sabella each posted six points. Williams posted seven assists, five rebounds and five steals and freshman Justin Miller (Agawam, Mass./Bridgton Academy) added five points, five boards and two blocks.
Gillis led the Crusaders with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds and Cornell added 15 points and five rebounds. Swiggett was held seven points under his average, as he notched 15 points, three assists and three steals and Cory Boone added 11 points, nine rebounds and eight blocks.
Lycoming wrapped up the first half of its conference schedule with a 2-5 record to sit in seventh in the league, but they are only two games behind the third-place pair of Albright and Widener, who are 4-3, with seven games left to play.
The Warriors head into the second half of the Commonwealth Conference schedule on Saturday, Jan. 29, when they head to third-place Albright for a doubleheader, with the women tipping at 1 p.m. before the men play at 3 p.m.
