WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – In a tough, physical game that saw 42 fouls and 63 free throws, for a moment towards the end of the game, it looked like the Lycoming College men's basketball team's toughness could make an improbably comeback from a 21-point deficit possible, but Susquehanna University was able to withstand the late rally to take an 85-75 decision in the championship game of the Louis Fleming Basinger Memorial Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Lamade Gym.
 
Senior Malcolm Covington (Springfield Gardens, N.Y./Blessed Sacrament) notched a career-high 20 points en route to All-Tournament Team honors, as the point guard added three assists, three rebounds and two steals.
 
He also helped 23-8 run that cut the Susquehanna lead to four points at 79-75 with 31 seconds left. He posted five points in the run and added an assist, while freshman Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) notched five points and three steals, as the Warriors (6-5 overall) pressured the Crusaders (8-3 overall) into eight turnovers.
 
After cutting the lead down to four points, though, the Warriors were forced to foul, and the Crusaders hit all six free throws down the stretch to make up the final margin.
 
The Warriors scored 23 points off turnover, while holding the Crusaders to nine during the game, with Lycoming posting 10 steals, led by four from Newbold, who also finished with 16 points.
 
Susquehanna's hot-shooting through the first 34 minutes kept the team in the lead wire-to-wire, as they shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field, including 10-of-25 from behind the arc, and they also added 27-of-30 at the free-throw line.
 
Lycoming stayed within two possessions for the first eight minutes of the game, but Susquehanna used seven straight points to extend the lead to 12 points at 26-14 with 10:07 left and Lycoming didn't get closer than seven in the rest of the half, with Susquehanna taking a 41-29 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, Susquehanna went long-distance, with Tournament MVP Brandon Hedley hitting three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the half, the last on a four-point play to give Susquehanna a 54-33 lead. The Crusaders didn't allow the Warriors back within 15 points until the 5:22 mark, when it was in the midst of its 23-8 run.
 
Sophomore Nykolas King (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science & Math) finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists and freshman Issak Bodon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) notched 10 points and three rebounds. Freshman Justin Iton (Hackensack, N.J./Dwight Morrow) added seven points and eight rebounds.
 
Hedley finished with 24 points and five 3-pointers and Steven Weidlich notched 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Josh Miller also added 14 points and six rebounds and MattMcGugan notched 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. Ryan Traub also notched nine points and six rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Jan. 3, when they host Widener in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader at Lamade Gym. The women tip at 1 p.m. before the men at 3 p.m.