WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A balanced offensive performance that featured three players in double figures and a suffocating defensive stretch midway through the second half propelled the Lycoming College men's basketball team to a 72–55 Landmark Conference victory over Wilkes University on Wednesday night, Jan. 28, inside Lamade Gymnasium.
Senior guard
Isaiah Valentine (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) poured in 17 points on 7‑of‑11 shooting, hitting two 3‑pointers while adding six rebounds and three assists. Junior forward
Hayden Pardoe (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) matched him with 17
points, knocking down three 3‑pointers and collecting six rebounds. Junior guard
Connor Shanahan (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) added 11 first-half points in 18 productive minutes to help lift the Warriors (5-13 overall, 1-10 Landmark) to its first win in conference play against the fourth-place Colonels (11-7 overall, 6-5 Landmark).
It was also the Warriors' first win in six meetings against the Colonels, a streak dating back to a 69-67 overtime win in Lamade Gym on Jan. 26, 2023, when both teams were members of the MAC Freedom.
First‑year forward
Charlie Sims (Birmingham, Ala./Homewood) sparked the offense off the bench with eight points, including a pair of threes, sophomore
Princeton Layton (Katy, Texas/Katy Paetow) added nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks and first-year
Noa'Sosa Friedman (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) posted seven points and four rebounds.
Wilkes opened the game on a 7-2 run before the Warriors ran off seven straight points, taking the lead after a steal and fastbreak bucket from Pardoe. After rolling through four more lead changes and three ties, Lycoming seized momentum. Tied at 16 with 7:57, the Warriors finished the half on a 14-8 run, with a turnaround jumper from senior
J.J. Beagle (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) giving Lycoming a 30-24 lead at the break.
The Warriors opened the second half with seven straight points. Layton, Pardoe and Sims combined for three straight baskets run that pushed the lead to 39-24, and a Valentine 3-pointer made it 46-29 with 15:24 left. Wilkes cut the deficit to nine with 4:25 left, but Lycoming answered with a 3-pointer from Pardoe, kicking off a 13-4 run to finish the game.
Wilkes was led by Jack Argento's 15 points and seven rebounds, and Eli Becker added 12 points and 11 boards. However, the Warriors' 9 3‑pointers, 12 assists, and a plus-two rebounding edge over the Landmark Conference's leading rebounding team (40.3 per game) proved too much for the Colonels to overcome.
Lycoming hosts Drew University on Saturday, Jan. 31, in a 2 p.m. Landmark matchup in Lamade Gym.
