WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Down by 10 points heading into the final 9:40 of Saturday's Dutch Burch Tip-Off Classic championship, the Lycoming College men's basketball team scored 24 of the next 29 points to post an 86-78 win over Misericordia University on Nov. 14.
 
Junior David Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Communications Tech) earned tournament MVP honors with 18 points, five rebounds and three steals to lead the team to the come-from-behind win, as he was one of five Warriors (2-0 overall) to finish in double figures.
 
Sophomore Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) posted 15 points, five assists, six rebounds and four steals to earn a spot on the all-tournament team, while junior Nykolas King (Harlem, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science & Math) added 12 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
 
Both senior John Monkam (Lanham, Md./DuVal) and freshman Calvin Chandler (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista) each added 10 points, with Chandler also adding five rebounds and two steals.
 
The Cougars (1-1 overall) took a 60-50 lead after a transition 3-pointer by Griffin Sponaugle with 9:40 left, but Lycoming answered when senior Eric Ishman (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) answered with a 3-pointer to spark the run, with Newbold following with a fastbreak layup before finishing off a 3-point play. Bringing the Warriors back within a possession, Lycoming finally took the lead on a pair of free throws from Newbold with 4:22 left before Johnson picked up a steal at midcourt and drove in for the layup and another three-point play.
 
Lycoming kept pressuring, forcing a turnover and getting a blocked shot that led to a fastbreak bucket by Monkam that brought the lead to double figures with 2:30 left. Lycoming was forced to win the game at the free-throw line after that, hitting 10-of-16 while never letting Misericordia back within seven points.
 
The Warriors built a 10-point lead in the game's first 7:30, taking a 22-12 lead after a layup by Chandler, but Misericordia fought back to take a 26-24 lead just four minutes later, getting it to as many as six points 3:30 left. The Warriors tied the game at the break, though, with a quick flurry in the final 30 seconds, as Chandler hit a 3-pointer and Newbold hit a jumper as time expired in the half.
 
Misericordia scored the first 11 points in the second half before Lycoming answered with nine straight points, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Sponaugle and Jason Kenny helped Misericordia rebuild the double-digit lead, which set up Lycoming's comeback in the final 10 minutes.
 
Sponaugle led the Cougars with 22 points and six 3-pointers and Kenny added 21 points and four rebounds. Erik Kerns notched 11 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals, as Misericordia hit 24-of-53 from the field, but were hampered by 29 turnovers, while Lycoming limited itself to 14.
 
Lycoming gets back on the court on Tuesday, Nov. 17, when they head to Fredonia State for a 6 p.m. game.