KEUKA PARK, N.Y. — After erasing a 13-point second-half deficit, senior
Hayden Pardoe (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) swished through a tying 3-pointer just after time expired on the Lycoming College men's basketball team, as it fell to Keuka College, 76-73, on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 14, at JMW Recreation and Athletic Complex.
The Warriors are 2-2, and Keuka is 1-1.
Lycoming tied the game midway through the second half and twice in the final stretch, while making a season-high 11 3-pointers and recording 17 assists on 26 field goals. Keuka held a 52-32 rebounding advantage.
Sophomore
Elisha Slabach (Cleona, Pa./Annville-Cleona) scored a career-high 29 points thanks to a career-high six 3-pointers, also collecting seven rebounds. Pardoe added 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, closing within 44 points of 1,000 in his career. Sophomore
Noa'Sosa Friedman (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) finished with 11 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, with his six assists setting a career high. First-year
Blake Nagurney (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) recorded nine points, a season-high five assists and three rebounds.
Keuka moved back in front 73-69 in the final two minutes, but Slabach made two free throws and, after Nagurney's steal, added a fastbreak layup with 54 seconds left to tie it at 73. Nutifafa's turnaround jumper with 26 seconds remaining put Keuka ahead, and Zeh's free throw at the buzzer supplied the final point. The Warriors nearly sent the game to overtime, as Pardoe swished a 3-pointer off the inbounds with 0.5 seconds left, but the shot was waved off as too late.
Keuka pushed its lead to 53-40 at 15:17 behind back-to-back fastbreak layups by Sincere Smith and Makya Morrison off Warriors turnovers, but Lycoming answered with 10 straight points. Friedman scored five points in the run, Pardoe hit a 3-pointer and Slabach finished a steal with a layup. Nagurney made a 3-pointer and Pardoe scored off Nagurney's assist to tie it at 55 with 11:31 left, and Pardoe followed with another layup for a 57-55 Warriors lead before Kaleb Nutifafa tied it with two free throws.
After first-year
Mike Lower (State College, Pa./Penn Manor) tied it at 61, Zeh hit a 3-pointer and Keuka added free throws to go up 67-61. Lycoming responded with a layup by sophomore
Charlie Sims (Birmingham, Ala./Homewood), two Slabach free throws and Slabach's 3-pointer at 2:19 before his free throw tied it at 69.
Pardoe hit a 3-pointer on the Warriors' first possession of the game, and Slabach added two early 3-pointers to help Lycoming lead 11-7 at 15:15 of the first half. Keuka moved ahead 17-13 before Friedman scored inside, Pardoe made two free throws and
Haydn Lay hit a 3-pointer at 10:54 to put the Warriors in front 20-19. Keuka answered with a stretch that included three transition layups and Britten Zeh's 3-pointer to build a 28-20 lead, but Slabach's 3-pointer, Friedman's two free throws and Slabach's layup brought Lycoming within 28-27 at 5:45. Keuka closed the half with three 3-pointers and two late inside baskets, while Pardoe added a free throw and a layup for the Warriors, and Keuka led 41-30 at halftime.
Nutifafa scored 24 points and collected nine rebounds for Keuka. Morrison finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. Zeh made three 3-pointers and scored 10 points. Malik Junious-Fuller added seven points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Up next, the Warriors host Wilkes University to open Landmark Conference play on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at Lamade Gym in Williamsport, Pa.
