CLINTON, N.Y. – A dominating defensive effort that forced 26 turnovers helped the Lycoming College men's basketball team outlast a tough test against SUNYIT, 81-67, in the opening game of the Hamilton Invitational at Alumni Gym on Saturday, Nov. 29.
 
The Warriors (3-2 overall) shot a healthy 52 percent (26-of-50) in the game and added 25 free throws in 37 trips to the line to help the team build some distance from the Wildcats (0-3 overall) late in the game, led by senior Malcolm Covington (Queens, N.Y./Blessed Covenant), who hit 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes.
 
The Wildcats cut the lead to four points at 69-65 with 3:40 remaining, but the Warriors responded out of a timeout, as senior Patrick Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) calmly plunked in a 3-pointer from the right side. After a pair of Wildcat turnovers took the clock under nine minutes, they were forced to foul, and Covington responded by outscoring them 9-2 in the final moments to make up the final margin.
 
Lycoming opened the second half with a layup by freshman Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) and began to press the Wildcats into mistakes, forcing turnovers on the team's first four possessions of the half. After the Wildcats crawled within three at 43-40, the Warriors went on a 14-6 run to take a 57-46 lead after a 3-pointer from freshmen Issak Boden (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) with 10:15 left. They kept the lead in the 3-possession territory until Blake Haga hit his 3-pointer that made it 69-65, setting up the final stretch.
 
With both team's finishing the first half 15-of-31 for the floor, it was Lycoming's ability to get nine SUNYIT turnovers and hit eight free throws that helped it take a three-point lead into the second half. Three Warriors –Boden, freshman Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) and Dougher – finished the half with seven points and two others had six points.
 
The Warriors got out to a quick start against the Wildcats, taking an 15-6 lead in the first five minutes, with Wallace capping the run with a layup. The Wildcats got back into the game quickly with a 3-pointer and a traditional 3-point play helped them make it a 3-point game and eventually take their first lead of the game at 20-19 on a layup by Maverick Hodge with 9:05 left.
 
From there, the teams fought through four lead changes and four ties in the final nine minutes of the half. The Warriors had another seven-point lead during that time at 31-24, but the Wildcats responded with an 11-1 run to make it 35-32 after a Hodge layup with 2:50 left. The Warriors ended the half, though, an 8-2 run, with a layup by sophomore Nykolas King (New York, N.Y./Manhatten Center for Science & Math) helping the Warriors take a 40-37 lead into the break.
 
Covington finished with a career-high tying 16 points and six assists to lead the Warriors, while Bodon posted 15 points, five rebounds and two steals. Dougher notched 10 points and two 3-pointers. Freshman Justin Iton (Hackensack, N.J./Dwight Morrow), King and Wallace each added eight points, with Iton also notching five rebounds and King adding four rebounds and two steals. Newbold notched seven points, four assists and four steals.
 
Ryan McCarthy led the Wildcats, who held a 36-25 rebounding advantage, with 16 points and six rebounds and both Haga and Kaleel Johnson posting 12 points. Johnson also notched nine rebounds. Hodge posted 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
 
The Warriors wrap up the Hamilton Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 30, when they face Hamilton College at 4 p.m. Hamilton posted a 67-59 win over Utica College in its first game of the tournament.