GRANTHAM, Pa. – After 15 games without a player scoring 20 points in a game, two Lycoming College men's basketball players hit the magic number on Wednesday night, Jan. 6, as both freshman T.J. Duckett (Severna Park, Md./Calvert Hall) and sophomore Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) led the Lycoming College men's basketball team to a 74-62 win over Messiah College in MAC Commonwealth action at Brubaker Auditorium.
 
Duckett hit 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, canning both of his 3-pointers and adding six free throws to reach a new career high. Wallace, meanwhile, reached his new career-high by hitting 6-of-10 from the floor and 7-of-11 at the line. Wallace also added a game-high seven rebounds for the Warriors (10-3 overall, 3-2 MAC Commonwealth), who shot 42 percent (22-of-53) from the floor, but went to the free-throw line 41 times and hit 27.
 
Heading into the second half with a 20-point lead, the Warriors maintained that for much of the first 10 minutes of the final period, but Messiah (3-10 overall, 0-4 MAC Commonwealth) began to use a full-court press and long-distance shooting to turn a 53-36 game with 6:59 left into a 65-58 game with 1:46 left thanks to a 22-12 run.
 
Forced to win the game at the free throw line, the Warriors did just that, hitting 9-of-10 at the line in the final 93 seconds to prevent Messiah from closing the gap anymore.
 
Lycoming got started quickly, with sophomore Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) scoring in transition off the tip before Duckett hit a 3-pointer just 35 seconds after that, starting what became a 15-2 run that occupied the first four minutes of the game.
 
Messiah hit the next two field goals, but the 4-0 mini-run occupied the next seven minutes of the half. When a layup finally fell for Wallace with 8:16 left, the Warriors began a 15-4 run that took the next four minutes, as a layup by junior David Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Communications Tech) gave the Warriors a 30-8 win.
 
The Falcons were able to close the gap to 20 points late in the first half, with Luke Cable posting a traditional 3-point play with 32 seconds left to make it 36-16 at the break.
 
Johnson finished with 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals and Newbold added eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. Both senior John Monkam (Lanham, Md./DuVal) and junior Nykolas King (Harlem, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science & Math) each added five points, with Monkam pulling in six rebounds and King five.
 
Cable led the Falcons, who shot 33 percent (22-of-66) in the game, with 20 points and five 3-pointers. Neil Murren added 13 points and four rebounds and Micah Brown also added 10 points. Josh Clippinger and Logan Long each had seven rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Jan. 9, with another MAC Commonwealth doubleheader at Hood College. The women will tip at 1 p.m. before the men play at 3 p.m.