WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – A squad that features 10 freshman once again overpowered the defending Commonwealth Conference champions on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Lamade Gym, as the Lycoming College men's basketball team shot 55 percent from the floor en route to an 85-66 win over Alvernia University.
 
Sophomore Nykolas King (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science & Math) led the first-place Warriors (12-6 overall, 7-2 Commonwealth) with 16 points and seven rebounds, as he was one of four Warriors in double figures and one of 12 that found the scoreboard in the game. Lycoming shot a season-best 55 percent (31-of-56) from the floor and held a 41-28 advantage on the glass, which led to a 50-20 advantage in the paint.
 
Meanwhile, Alvernia (10-7 overall, 5-4 Commonwealth) played just six players in the game's first 38 minutes, with the bench accounting for just two points while the Warrior bench scored 33.
 
"I'm happy we get to stay in first place until Wednesday," Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. "Our effort came for 40 minutes tonight. The whole team, not just the starters, but the bench came in and worked to give us a lift throughout. There was very little let down and that is something we haven't had for a full game in a while and that gave us a great result."
 
The Warriors hot shooting began to become evident when freshman Casey Vickers (Terre Haute, Ind./Bridgton Academy) and King hit back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 12-6 lead with 13:02 left. The lead was never relinquished, and the Warriors lit out on a 16-5 run soon after to take a 31-18 lead with 3:58 left in the period.
 
Alvernia cut the lead down to seven points right before the half, as Lamont Clark scored on a layup, but a pair of free throws from King helped the Warriors take a 37-28 lead into the break. In the second half, the Crusaders cut within seven points once more at 46-39 with 15:20 left, but the Warriors responded with a 13-1 run to take a 59-40 lead with 12:10 left. In the final 12 minutes, Alvernia couldn't get closer than 12 points.
 
Senior Patrick Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) moved into 10^th in program history with 158 career 3-pointers, as he finished with three 3-pointers, 13 points and five rebounds. Senior Malcolm Covington (Springfield Gardens, N.Y./Blessed Sacrament) added 12 points and three assists and junior John Monkam (Lanham, Md./DuVal) posted season-highs of 10 points and six rebounds. Freshman Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) added eight points, five rebounds and a career-high four steals.
 
Charles Cooper finished with 26 points, five rebounds and three steals and Mike Miller added 15 points. Clark posted 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, but the Crusaders were held to just 37 percent (18-of-49) from the floor and 25 percent (8-of-32) from 3-point range.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Wednesday, Jan. 28, when they head to Messiah for a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader. The women tip at 6 p.m. before the men play at 8 p.m.