Box Score

READING, Pa. – Down by 19 points early in the second half, the Lycoming College men’s basketball team posted a valiant comeback, but Alvernia took a school-record 66 free throws and made 49 of them, just four shy of the NCAA Division III record of 53, to hold off the comeback, 89-82, as Alvernia moved within a game of clinching the top spot in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs with the win on Saturday, Feb. 12.

The Warriors (14-9 overall, 4-8 Commonwealth) were led by 29 points and nine rebounds from senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township), who crossed 1,100 career points, but were hindered from foul trouble that saw five players foul out.

The Crusaders (15-5 overall, 10-2 Commonwealth) shot 74 (49-for-66) percent from the free throw line, as they took 21 more shots from the free throw line than from the field, where they hit just 19 shots, but still were able to wrap up at least a share of first place in the regular-season standings. The Crusaders fell four free throws shy of the NCAA D-III single game-record of 53 set by UC San Diego on Jan. 16, 1988.

Down 54-35 with 16:07 left in the second half, the Warriors mounted a rally, as freshman Michael Rudy (Danville, Pa./Danville) scored four points in a row to make it a 15-point game. The Crusaders kept their distance, though, as a tip-in from Cory Boone made it 64-47 with 10:32 left.

From there, the Warriors chipped into the lead, as Kelly hit a layup to start a run of eight straight points that was capped on another layup by Kelly with 8:23 left. The Crusaders kept the Warriors within eight points until the 3:49 mark when Rudy hit a layup and a steal by sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) led to four straight free throws from Kelly with the help of a technical foul.

The Crusaders, though hit the next four free throws and hit 14-of-18 from the line in the final 2:34 to seal the win, while Kelly did his best to keep the Warriors in the game, scoring 10 points in that span.

The two teams battled evenly for the first 12 minutes of the game, going through five ties and nine lead changes before the Crusaders went on an 18-2 run that lasted five minutes and featured 11 free throws from Alvernia. The Warriors cut the lead from 17 points to 12 at halftime thanks to three free throws from Kelly late in the half. The Crusaders started the second half on a 14-7 run to take the game-high 19-point lead.

Sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and Rudy added a career-high 12 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. Williams posted seven points, six assists and five steals, as he moved within two swipes of becoming the third player in school history to reach 150 in a career. Freshman Tyrone McFadden (Lampeter, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) and senior Sebastian Sabella (Bayside, N.Y./Episcopal School) each added 16 points.

Cory Boone led the Crusaders with 20 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks and Tad Gillis notched 16 points and three assists, as he made 14 from the line. Brian Nerney posted 14 points and 12 rebounds and both Seth Cornell and Stefan Thompson added 13 points.

The Warriors head home to Lamade Gym for Senior Day on Tuesday, Feb. 15, when they face Messiah at 8 p.m.