DALLAS, Pa. – First-year Isaiah Valentine (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) saw first-year J.J. Beagle (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) streak along the baseline, got the pass to him and Beagle flew above the rim for a high-flying dunk with 29 seconds left in overtime to help the Lycoming College men's basketball team clinch an 85-80 win over Misericordia University in MAC Freedom action on Wednesday evening, Jan. 18.
 
With the score 83-80, junior Steven Hamilton (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville Area) drew a charge on Misericordia's resulting possession and Valentine was fouled after the Warriors (11-6 overall, 6-2 MAC Freedom) and he hit both free throws to ice the game and give the Warriors' their fourth straight win as they moved into second alone halfway through the conference schedule.
 
The Warriors took the lead in the overtime when Valentine hit a corner three on a second-chance possession to make it 78-77. A handcheck foul with 1:29 left helped the Cougars (8-8 overall, 3-5 MAC Freedom) tie the game, as Kevin Lazdowsky hit the back-end of a pair of free throws. Senior Mo Terry (Severn, Md./Severn School) hit a corner 3-pointer in response before Misericordia closed within a point as the clock moved under a minute left, setting up Beagle's dunk.
 
Hamilton led the Warriors with 25 points, hitting five 3-pointers, to go with three assists and senior Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) posted 23 points, canning four 3-pointers, seven rebounds, two steals and one block, which tied him with Michael Rudy (2010-14) for the school record of 158 career blocks shots. Terry notched 15 points and four rebounds, Beagle posted eight points and seven rebounds and Valentine notched seven points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
Harward spun in the lane and hit a layup to tie the game with 1:15 left, and neither team was able to score on the final five possessions.
 
Misericordia led 51-36 with 15:40 left and led 59-50 with 10:13 left before Hamilton hit a 3-pointer right before the midway point of the half, starting a seven-point run by the Warriors to close within a pair with 7:38 left after a pair of free throws from Terry.
 
The Cougars led 68-63 with 4:13 left, but a fastbreak 3-pointer from Hamilton was followed by a steal that led to a 3-pointer from Harward to give the Warriors the lead, 69-68, with 2:40 left. Two lead changes later, Lazdowsky hit a 3-pointer with 1:32 to make it 73-71 Misericordia, setting up Harward's game-tying layup.
 
The Cougars took a 10-point lead 15 minutes into the game and led by as many as 15 before leading 40-29 at halftime.
 
The Warriors scored 13 points off 11 Misericordia turnovers while they turned it over a season-low six times.
 
Lazdowsky led the Cougars with 23 points and nine rebounds, Nick Hornung posted 20 points and nine rebounds, Nick Prociak posted 15 points and seven rebounds and Joseph Baldachino posted 10 points. Nate Kreitzer had six assists.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Jan. 21, when they head to Arcadia University to start the second half of the MAC Freedom season at 3 p.m., after the women's game between the two schools at 1 p.m.