OWING MILLS, Md. – Overcoming a six-point deficit in the final 72 seconds to get within a point, the 16^th-ranked Lycoming College men's basketball team couldn't take the lead, falling to Stevenson University, 71-68, in MAC Commonwealth action on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 10, at Owing Mills Gymnasium.
 
The Warriors (19-4 overall, 10-4 MAC Commonwealth) fall into a tie for first place in the MAC Commonwealth with Albright (18-5 overall, 11-4 MAC Commonwealth) defeating Messiah. Before playing Albright on Saturday, Feb. 17, Lycoming hosts Lebanon Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Lamade Gym at 8 p.m., as the team still holds its fate in its hands to finish first in the conference for the third time in four years heading into the final week of the regular season.
 
Freshman Ramadan Jennings (Jackson, Ohio/Life Skills) notched his second 20-point effort in the last three games, netting 20 points with seven rebounds, while hitting 9-of-14 shots. Senior Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) recorded his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting.
 
The Warriors took their biggest lead of the game less than five minutes into the second half which they opened on a 12-2 run to make it 43-35. Lycoming was able to hold a seven-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining when senior Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) hit two free throws, but Stevenson took the lead for good at 49-48 with 7:56 remaining. That advantage reached seven with 3:32 to go, but the Warriors cut the lead down when Wallace came up with a steal and Jennings had a putback with 2:22 remaining to get within four. The teams' traded free throws on the next two possessions.
 
Stevenson increased its lead to six with 1:12 remaining, but a long two-pointer from junior Darius James (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin), a Stevenson turnover and two made free throws from sophomore Ronald Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) got the Warriors back within two with 56 seconds remaining. James then came up with a steal 22 seconds later and hit 1-of-2 free throws to get Lycoming within one at 65-64. The Warriors faced a two-point deficit with eight seconds remaining after a coast-to-coast layup from Jefferson, but Stevenson hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
 
Facing a 24-14 deficit with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half, the Warriors turned up the defense and got out into transition. Over the next six minutes, Stevenson was held to just two points, was 0-for-7 from the field and had two turnovers as Lycoming went on a 13-2 run to take a 27-26 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Jennings started the run with a tip-in, before Newbold and Jefferson each hit layups. Junior T.J. Duckett (Severna Park, Md./Calvert Hall) hit his first 3-pointer to make it 24-23. Four straight points followed from Jennings, including an and-one layup, to give the Warriors their first lead since the first minute of the game. Lycoming went into the break down 33-31, as Jennings notched 12 points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Lycoming hit 40 percent (26-of-65) of its shots, while holding Stevenson to just 36 percent (19-of-53).
 
Kobe Colston led Stevenson with 20 points, while grabbing six rebounds and dealing five assists. Danzel Wright added 17 points and five boards.