ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Off-season concern arose over the topic of big men. As the 2010-11 season neared, coach Bob Schlosser's concerned turned to optimism, as many of his bigs had hit the weight room hard and tried to craft their post games. Sophomore Andrew Mantz justified Schlosser's outlook with a career-high 21-point performance that led the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team to a 92-87 victory over Susquehanna at Thompson Gymnasium Saturday night.

The two sides engaged in a run-and-gun first half. Neither team made much use of the full 35 second shot clock and the result was a 43-42 Susquehanna halftime lead. The Crusaders (3-6) rode the hot hand of reserve Spenser Spencer early. The junior guard drilled his first five shots —three from long range— en route to 13 first-half points. Spencer would go cold late in the half, however, allowing Elizabethtown (7-1) to quickly erase its deficit.

A layup by Mantz, and two triples by Keith Fogel in the final 2:14 of the half allowed E-town to remain within striking distance of their longest-standing rival. Saturday night marked the 137th time the two sides have met, and both the Blue Jays and Crusaders continued the up-tempo play in the second half that made the game an instant classic.

Elizabethtown looked to seize its first solid grasp of the lead in the opening three minutes of period number two. Fogel connected on another pair of 3-pointers and Mantz finished off consecutive three-point plays as the Jays pulled in front by seven, 53-46, with 17:29 to play.

Though it was a different half, the story remained the same. This time it was Susquehanna that rallied behind senior guard Rob Estep. The point guard took command by scoring seven points in a 14-0 SU run that put the visitors ahead 64-60 nearly halfway through the frame. Estep scored 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half.

The Crusaders would see their lead grow to six on a bucket and a free throw by freshman center Harley Sellinger with 7:04 remaining. That would be the last bit of breathing room for either team, though, as the final quarter of the half was a back and forth bout that went down to the wire.

Fogel hit an acrobatic layup in the lane, but it was answered at the other end by a Spencer jumper off the glass. Mantz sank two free throws (he was 7-of-8 from the stripe on the night) to cut the SU lead back to one, 82-81, with 4:13 to go.

Momentum would swing on Susquehanna's next possession. Second-leading scorer Harvey Pannell appeared to score a layup plus a foul, but it was quickly waved off by the referee underneath the basket who signaled charge. Instead of having a chance to make it a two-possession game, the Crusaders remained up just a marker. Then, they were down two. Joe Flanagan sent Thompson Gymnasium into a frenzy with a 3-pointer from the wing that gave E-town an 84-82 edge.

The roof nearly came off on E-town's next offensive trip. Big man Bryan Harrity found himself wide open from the right corner and dropped a trey that put the lead at five. Yet again, Susquehanna found a way to make things interesting. J.T. Wilson finished off a three-point play with 1:17 to go, cutting the E-town lead to 89-87. A Kyle McConnell free throw gave the Jays a 90-87 advantage and on SU's penultimate offensive possession, Fogel rebounded a missed three-pointer and fired it ahead to a streaking McConnell for the layup that put a dagger in the Crusaders.

All five E-town starters finished in double-figures, as the Blue Jays continued their strong start to the season. Fogel matched Mantz with 21, which led all scorers. The senior was 7-of-16 of the floor and 4-of-4 at the foul line. He is 33 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Mantz did not need near 16 shots to get his 21. Not only did the Sunbury, Pa., native put forth a career night, he did it in the most effective of ways. Mantz was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 47.1 percent (33-of-70), while the Crusaders hit of 42.6 percent of their attempts (29-of-68). "It was just a great college game, all the way," said Schlosser. "We've been looking to try and get Mantz going the last few games and he just really put it all together tonight."

Harrity notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards in 18 minutes, while Flanagan came just a board shy of one himself (12 points, nine rebounds). McConnell had 11 and Brian Allport 10 for the Blue Jays. Spencer joined Estep in leading the Crusaders with 20 points. Susquehanna nearly put all five of its starters in double-figures, but fell one player shy of doing so. Sellinger finished with 12, while Pannell and Wilson each had 10.

E-town has a week to prepare for Salisbury, its final opponent before the holiday break. The Blue Jays and Sea Gulls face-off at Thompson Gymnasium next Saturday at 3 p.m.