NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Despite the result not being what eighth-year head coach Guy Rancourt and the players were hoping for, the Lycoming College men's basketball team showed exactly why they belonged in the NCAA Division III Championship in a tightly-contested affair, falling to nationally-ranked Christopher Newport, 79-71, in the first round on Friday night, March 4, at the Freeman Center.
 
The Warriors finish their 2015-16 season with an overall record of 19-10. The Captains improve to 27-1 overall this year and will face New York University on Saturday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Division III Basketball Championship at the Freeman Center.
 
"This was a special season for us at Lycoming," Rancourt said. "I'm very proud of our three seniors leading by example throughout all the hard times this year."
 
The Warriors were led by junior David Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Communications Tech) who scored a team-high 19 points, including 17 in the second half, on 7-for-13 shooting from the field, pulled in four rebounds, and came away with four steals. Junior Willie Kee (Baltimore, Md./Parkville) finished with 12 points, including 2-for-3 from long range, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Junior Nykolas King (Harlem, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science and Math) and sophomore Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) both notched 10 points, with King recording a double-double on strength of 11 rebounds, two assists, and three steals and Wallace finishing with five rebounds and two steals.
 
The Captains held a slight 8-6 scoring edge through the first few minutes of the second half before Johnson got the Warriors back in the game as he scored 11 points during a 14-2 team run, which included a jab step, step-back 3-pointer.
 
"I thought our guys got caught a little in the headlights," Rancourt said. "We had to make a decision at halftime and I'm very proud of how our guys come together after the half and to compete against this team."
 
Trailing 65-53, Captains sophomore Aaron McFarland hit a three to put the Captains up 15 points with 2:42 left. Despite the large deficit, the Warriors battled valiantly, outscoring the Captains, 18-11, in the final 150 seconds to yield the final margin.
 
Wallace got the scoring started for the Warriors with an early layup to tie the game, 2-2. After the Captains scored six straight points, the Warriors answered with a layup from sophomore Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) and a three from Kee to get to within a point. After the Captains countered with an 8-1 run, the Warriors again fought back with an 8-4 run, including 3-pointers from freshmen Calvin Chandler (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista) and T.J. Duckett (Severna Park, Md./Calvert Hall), as they trailed 20-16 with 8:08 to play in the opening half.
 
After Wallace hit a layup to make it a two-point game, the Captains ended the half with a 23-8 run, which included an old-fashioned three-point play from senior Connor Laframboise on the final play of the half, as the Warriors went into the locker room trailing, 43-24.
 
"We had a slow start to the game," senior Armani Taylor (Upper Marlboro, Md./Bowie) said. "The halftime speech came down to, 'Are we going to leave it here (in the locker room) or on the court?'"
 
The Warriors shot a blistering 7-for-10 on three-pointers and finished 27-for-55 (.491) overall from the field after shooting 18-for-30 (.600) in the second half. The Warriors forced 15 turnovers and came away with 10 steals in the game while holding advantages in points in the paint (38-34) and fastbreak points (8-2).
 
"The whole experience here has been amazing," senior John Monkam (Lanham, Md./DuVal) said. "This group has been amazing. They all work hard and Coach Rancourt does a great job getting us ready for every game."
 
When asked about how he thinks this team can do next season, senior Eric Ishman (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) said, "Our team is very talented and I feel like we can be back here next year and make some noise."