READING, Pa. – Four days after a 20-point loss, most people would have written off the Lycoming College men's basketball team as it visited two-time defending Commonwealth Conference champion Alvernia for the conference opener. Add in a 15-point halftime deficit and what the freshman-laden team did to come back and post a 67-64 win at Jack McClosky Court is all the more impressive.
 
Junior John Monkham (Lanham, Md./Duval) hit the go-ahead free throw with 35 seconds remaining  and freshmen reserve Issak Bodon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) hit two free throws to ice away the comeback with 19 seconds remaining, as all Alvernia could get off with its last possession was wild 3-pointer.
 
With the win, head coach Guy Rancourt moved into a tie for the second-most wins in program history, as he improved to 98-61 in his seventh year as head coach. Bob Smith went 98-67 from 1948-56.
 
After being outscored by 15 in the first half, the Warriors (2-2 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth) outscored the Crusaders (2-2 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth), 47-29.
 
Bodon was the main catalyst in the second half comeback as he scored all of his career and game-high 18 points in the second half. He also added four rebounds and four made 3-pointers. Bodon was just one of three reserves to have a huge impact, as Monkham scored all of his seven points in the second half and added seven rebounds. Sophomore Nykolas King (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science and Math) notched a double-double off the bench, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds, including the game's final rebound that clanked off the rim on a potential game-tying three-point attempt. In all, the Warriors depth proved critical, as the bench outscored Alvernia's, 43-10.
 
In the first eight minutes of the second half, Lycoming used an 18-5 run to cut the lead to two after a free throw from freshman Casey Vickers (Terre Haute, Ind./Bridgton Academy) made it 40-38, but Alvernia answered with an 18-8 run to extend its lead to 12 with 8:25 remaining.
 
The Warriors took over from there, as the team delivered a 13-1 run, capped by Bodon's layup with 3:56 left tied the game at 59, setting up the dramatic finish. The Crusaders had a three-point lead with 1:47 remaining, but Bodon answered with a trey to tie it. A minute later, Lycoming took its first lead on Monkham's free throw.
 
The Crusaders controlled the pace of the game for most of the first half, building a 22-6 lead through the first 13 minutes. The Warriors closed within eight points later in the half, but Alvernia scored the last seven points in the half to take a 35-20 lead and setup the Warriors' comeback.
 
Freshman Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) finished with a career-high 16 points and he added four rebounds and two steals. The Warriors shot 21-percent better in the second half, improving to 45 percent (18-of-40) and outscored Alvernia by 16 in the paint.
 
Charles Cooper led Alvernia with 16 points and nine rebounds, Harrison Deyo added 13 points and 21 rebounds and Alex Shipton and Lamount Clark scored 11 apiece. 
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Nov. 29, when they head to Clinton, N.Y. for the Hamilton Invitational where they will face SUNYIT at 7 p.m.