Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – A trio of Lycoming College men’s basketball players finished in double figures, but the Warriors couldn’t overcome a 19-point halftime deficit as Messiah College took a 68-59 decision to win the Commonwealth Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 25, at Brubaker Auditorium. With the win, Messiah earns the conference’s bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
“My hat goes off to Messiah,” Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. “They did a fantastic job. They made their shots today. They did a great job defensively and we couldn’t recover. I’m proud of our guys. We did everything we could to come back.”
 
The two teams started the first 4:30 even, with each scoring six points before Messiah (20-6 overall) scored eight straight points to make it 14-6 with 11:47 left. Junior Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) scored five straight points to make it a 3-point contest with 10:48 left, but three 3-pointers in an 11-point run helped Messiah ignite on a 28-12 run to close the half with a 19-point lead, leading by as many as 23 points before a pair of Lycoming 3-pointers from senior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep) and junior Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensberg) cut into the lead in the last two minutes before the half.
 
Lycoming (19-8 overall) worked to cut into the lead for much of the second half, using a run of nine straight points midway through the stanza to make it a nine-point game at 53-44 after a Bradley layup. Lycoming got the lead down to eight points a pair of times, but the top-seeded Falcons hit five free throws in the last minute to close out the win.
 
Davis led the Warriors with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Bradley added 13 points and three rebounds and Williams posted 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior Anthony Martin (Detroit, Mich./Christ the King) added nine points and two blocks.
 
Derek Mosley led the Falcons, who shot 48 percent (21-of-44) in the game and added 19 free throws, with 16 points and six rebounds and David Fernandez added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, as the pair combined for five 3-pointers. Zach Hoy and Brad Bolen each notched nine points and Jeremiah Runkle posted seven points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Warriors will now wait to see if they can earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The bracket will be announced on Monday, Feb. 27, at 12 p.m. on NCAA.com.