Photo Gallery |

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Freshman Issak Bodon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) let the shot clock roll down below five, moved inside the 3-point line, stepped back to create separation and lofted a high-arcing 19-footer that swished through with 36 seconds left to help guarantee the Lycoming College men's basketball team a 69-64 Commonwealth Conference win over Widener University on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 3, at Lamade Gym.
 
Bodon's jumper gave Lycoming (7-5 overall, 3-1 Commonwealth) a 66-62 lead and forced Widener (9-4 overall, 2-2 Commonwealth) into a hurried miss on the other side, which forced them to foul. Freshman Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) hit the front end of a pair and freshman Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) grabbed the rebound. Bodon was fouled with 11 seconds left in the ensuing possession and he expanded the lead to 68-64 by hitting one free throw. Widener ran the floor to get a layup, but forced to foul, Newbold hit one more free throw with six seconds left to ensure the five-point win.
 
The Warriors held the lead for the entirety of the second half, holding a comfortable two-possession lead until the final 74 seconds. The Warriors expanded a seven-point halftime lead into its first double-digit lead at 10 points when sophomore Nykolas King (Manhattan, N.Y./Christ the King) picked up a steal and ran the length of the court before finishing with a thundering dunk to make it 42-32 with 15:36 left. Widener cut the lead down to five two and a half minutes later, but the Warriors worked it back to a 10-point game with 9:44 left and led by 11 after senior Pat Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) hit a 3-pointer to make it 57-46 with 7:59 left.
 
A 13-5 run helped Widener pull within two points with 1:14 left after a 3-pointer from Mark Pryzbylkowski, setting up Bodon's ice cold jumper.
 
The first half was filled with nine lead changes and four ties before Lycoming finally broke open the game in the final 2:06 of the first half, scoring nine straight points to take a 32-25 lead into the break. Bodon hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 25 to start the run before senior Malcolm Covington (Springfield Gardens, N.Y./Blessed Sacrament) hit a wide open 3-pointer from the right side. Bodon followed with a layup off a midcourt steal and freshman Justin Iton (Hackensack, N.J./Dwight Morrow) hit a turnaround floater in the lane to cap the rally.
 
Before the Lycoming rally, neither team held an advantage of more than four points in the first 19 minutes of the period.
 
Wallace led the Warriors with a career-high 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and Bodon finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. Covington added 13 points and four rebounds and King posted nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Newbold posted four steals and Dougher notched six points and four rebounds.
 
David Nicholson posted 14 points, three rebounds and three assists and both Pryzbylkowski and Kendall Green added 10 points. Greg Lawson notched 10 rebounds and Green also added three steals.
 
The Warriors held a 43-38 advantage on the glass, which helped them notch a 28-22 advantage on points in the paint and a 17-10 lead in second-chance points.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when they host Albright in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader, with the women tipping off at 6 p.m. before the men at 8 p.m.