WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – It was one of the more unconventional wins since senior
Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) stepped foot on campus. Two fouls in the first four minutes sent him to the bench for the remainder of the first half and the Lycoming College men’s basketball team responded by building a 10-point lead by the break and the team was able to lead wire-to-wire and down defending Commonwealth Conference champion Messiah, 70-54, on Friday afternoon, Dec. 14, in conference action at Lamade Gym.
Williams started the game by scoring its first five points, hitting a 3-pointer and then converting a steal into a fastbreak layup before two fouls sent him to bench with 16:49 to play. From there, the Warriors (8-1 overall, 5-0 Commonwealth) were off, shooting 43 percent from the floor while holding Messiah (4-4 overall, 3-2 Commonwealth) to just 33 percent, including 24 percent from 3-point range. The Warriors also forced 19 turnovers while the Falcons forced just 13, helping the Warriors hold a 12-1 advantage in points off turnover.
“It’s a balanced group,” Lycoming head coach
Guy Rancourt said. “It makes it difficult for opponents to lock in on just one or two players. We have so many weapons that its hard to lock us down into a specific thing. It’s a testament to our players. They are doing a great job.”
Lycoming snapped a three-game skid to the Falcons and avenged a 68-59 win in the conference championship game on Feb. 25, 2012.
“It was important to get this win from a psychological perspective,” Rancourt said. “They were successful against us last year and I was proud of our guys (Friday).”
The Falcons closed within a point after a 3-pointer by Brad Bolen with 13:19 left in the first half, but the Warriors responded with a 16-4 run that was capped on a pair of free throws with 6:40 left, giving Lycoming a 27-14 lead. Messiah cut it to single digits once after that, but Lycoming was able to close out the half with a 32-22 lead.
The Falcons continued trying to play catch up in the second half, closing within three points after a pair of layups by Geoff Boyle, making it 43-40 with 11:06 left. The Warriors didn’t let Messiah any closer, as an offensive rebound by sophomore
Patrick Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) led to a pair of free throws and igniting a 9-2 run that made it 52-42 with 9:01 left after an old-fashioned 3-point play by junior
Kevin Anthony (Columbus, Ohio/Bridgton Academy).
For the next two minutes, the Falcons stayed within single digits, but freshman
William Wingate (Philadelphia, Pa./Mastery Charter) changed the flow of the game with a single leap. Going after a rebound off a missed Warrior shot, Wingate went between two Falcon defenders and finished off a two-handed dunk, making it 57-47 with 6:47 left. The Falcons never got back within single-digits and extended the lead to as many as 17 points.
“Will is so talented,” senior
Anthony Martin (Detroit, Mich./Christ the King) said. “He has so much potential. It jumpstarts his season for him to make a play like that in this type of game.”
“That was a momentum builder for us,” senior
Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) said. “We felt so happy. We knew we couldn’t lose after that. It gave us a good edge.”
Martin led the Warriors with 20 points, hitting eight field goals and four free throws. Both Williams and Wingate finished with 10 points. Williams, who played 17 minutes in the second half, finished with five assists, moving within 10 of the MAC record of 668 set by Lebanon Valley’s Mike Rhoads from 1992-95. He also added three steals. Wingate also added seven rebounds.
Anthony posted nine points, six rebounds and two blocks, becoming just the seventh player in school history to post 10 blocked shots in three seasons in a career. Davis added eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. Junior
Michael Rudy (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) added four blocked shots for the second straight game.
Derek Mosley led the Falcons with 13 points and three assists. Taylor Groff posted 10 points and 11 rebounds and Brad Bolen posted 11 points, two blocks, two assists and four rebounds. Christyan DeVan added nine points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Warriors get back on the court on Sunday, Dec. 16, when they face King’s (Pa.) in a non-conference tilt at Lamade Gym at 1 p.m.
