WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – First-year Isaiah Valentine (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) hit a jumper to tie the game for the first time with 18 seconds left for the Lycoming College men's basketball team, but Arcadia's Justin Money hit the front end of a one-and-one with five seconds left to lift third-seeded Arcadia to a 74-73 win over second-seeded Lycoming in a MAC Freedom Championship semifinal on Wednesday night, Feb. 22, at Lamade Gym.
 
The Warriors (16-10 overall) raced down the court after Money missed the backend of the free throw, with senior Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) grabbing the rebound. Lycoming got a clear look from three, but the shot bounced off the rim and to the top of the backboard after time expired, ending the game.
 
The Knights (14-11 overall) advance to a conference title game for the first time since 2020 and will face top-seeded DeSales (21-5 overall), who beat Stevens, 65-62, in the other semifinal.
 
Lycoming's seven seniors leave after going 58-32 in the blue and gold, appearing in four postseasons, three championship finals and winning twice.
 
Senior Mo Terry (Severn, Md./Severn School) led the Warriors with 21 points, senior Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) added 19 points and nine rebounds and junior Steven Hamilton (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville Area) posted 14 points, six assists and three steals. Valentine finished with eight points and three steals.
 
Down by 14 with 5:04 left, the Warriors rallied with a 17-3 run, starting it with a pair of free throws from Terry before Terry got a fastbreak layup to cut the lead to 10. Harward knocked down a second-chance 3-pointer and Valentine picked up a steal and drove in for a coast-to-coast layup to make it 70-65 with 2:18 left. Money ended the run with a 3-pointer with 1:46 left, but Hamilton hit a stepback 3-pointer in response with 1:21 left and then drove in for a layup to make it 73-70 with 40 seconds left. A bad inbounds pass gave Lycoming the ball back, setting up Valentine's corner look on a dish from under the basket by Hamilton.
 
Arcadia inbounded and got the ball to Money, and Lycoming fouled him going for a steal just inside the 3-point line, sending him to the line.
 
Arcadia scored the first eight points of the game before junior Brendon Blackson (Laurel, Md./Laurel) got the Warriors started with a turnaround jumper three minutes in, starting a run of seven straight points.
 
The Knights used a 17-4 run in the middle portion of the half to take a 16-point lead, with the Warriors cutting that down to 12 by halftime, 37-25.
 
Money finished with a game-high 25 points, going 5-for-5 from deep, to go with five rebounds, Nas Johnson had 20 points and three assists and Jalen Watkins finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.