WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Using 26 turnovers to score a season-high tying 37 points off turnover, the Lycoming College men's basketball team reached the New Year undefeated for the first time since 1966, as it turned away a gritty Penn State Behrend club, 65-58, on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 29, at Lamade Gym.
 
The Warriors (10-0 overall) tied the school record for best start in school history, tying the 2004-05 team that won its first 10 games before falling on Dec. 30. The 1966-67 team won its first five games before dropping their first game on Jan. 6.
 
Lycoming wreaked havoc on defense, forcing 26 turnovers, helping to lead to 14 fastbreak points, and it racked up 14 steals, led by five from junior Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg), who became just the fourth player in the history of the Commonwealth Conference (1993-94) to reach 200 in a career with his fourth swipe.
 
"Getting turnovers was critical," Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. "It's so vital to how we play. Creating turnovers and creating transition off missed shots is critical for us to be successful."
 
However, after shooting 54 percent in the first half, the Warriors struggled in the second half, shooting 35 percent and the team also let two double-digit leads fall within four points before closing the door on the Lions (2-7 overall).
 
"The layoff certainly had an effect on our performance overall," Rancourt said. "Behrend is a very good team. They are structured and disciplined and stay with what they do. As time went on, they made some adjustments that gave us some problems."
 
The Warriors never fell behind in the game and after a 4-4 tie, the Lions never got that close again. Lycoming broke open the game with a 13-0 run after the tie, as junior Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) scored five points in that span. Freshman Chris Foreman (Union, N.J./Union) hit one of his two 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 14-point lead with 10:01 left in the first half, capping the 16-2 run.
 
Behrend fought back with an 9-2 run that was capped on a fastbreak layup by Chris Dudzenski that made it 25-23 with 2:33 left in the half before a floater in the lane by junior Anthony Martin (Detroit, Mich./Christ the King) stopped the run and Foreman's second trey extended the lead to seven points, helping the Warriors take a 34-26 lead into the break.
 
The Warriors came out fast in the second half as well, completing a 22-5 run that spanned the halves with a 3-pointer from Davis that gave them a 19-point lead at 47-28 with 16:08 left. The Lions fought back from there, cutting the lead to 10 points halfway through the second period and then using a 8-0 run to cut the Warriors' lead to four points at 56-52 with 5:15 left after a fastbreak layup by Nick DeLisio.
 
However, sophomore Kevin Anthony (Columbus, Ohio/Bridgton Academy) answered with a tough layup and Lycoming answered each of Behrend's last six points, closing out the game by hitting 5-of-7 from the free throw line in the final 1:12.
 
Anthony led the Warriors with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Davis added 13 points, three rebounds and two assists and Williams posted 12 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds. He hit all six of his free throws, including four late to help ice the game. Senior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) posted nine points and five rebounds and Foreman finished with eight points.
 
Russ Conley posted 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks and Evan Eaton added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Lions, who shot 37 percent from the floor and just 12 (3-for-26) percent from 3-point range. DeLisio posted six points and four steals and Nick Thorsen notched six assists.
 
The Warriors get back on the court with the opening of the Louis Fleming Basinger Tournament on Monday, Jan. 2, when they face Penn State Abington at 6 p.m. at Lamade Gym. With a win against the Lions, the Warriors can tie the school record for longest winning streak, set from Feb. 1, 1967-Dec. 8, 1967.