CARLISLE, Pa. – A 15-point second half from senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) that included three 3-pointers helped the Lycoming College men's basketball team pull away from Dickinson College for a huge 76-66 win on the road at the Kline Center on Sunday afternoon against the Centennial Conference's second-place team.
Kelly finished with a season-high 23 points, as the 6-5 senior added seven rebounds and two assists while canning 3-of-6 from downtown, becoming the 11th player in school history to reach 100 career 3-pointers with his first trifecta.
"It's nice to have the real Will Kelly back," Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. "It put us into a nice comfort zone. He hit some huge threes for us."
Lycoming (7-3 overall), which shot 47 percent (26-for-55) while allowing Dickinson to shoot just 36 percent (24-for-66) from the floot, took control of the game with a 14-4 run in the second half that began with a layup by freshman Michael Rudy (Danville, Pa./Danville) as he was fouled. Kelly capped the run with eight points, including his second trey of the run that made it 60-47 with 5:53 left.
"I was very happy with the guys," Rancourt said. "They gave the effort we wanted. We spent a lot of time on Dickinson's space and structure and what they were going to try to do offensively. I thought we did a good job taking them out of what they do."
The Devils (5-5 overall) cut the lead to five points just over two minutes later as Chris Heine canned a 3-pointer to make it 64-59, but a free throw from sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) stopped the Devils' run and after a missed trey from the Devils, Kelly hit a jumper to key six straight points that gave the Warriors a 70-59 lead with 1:53 left.
The Devils were able to draw back into single digits once more, but a pair of free throws from sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) with 15 seconds left kept the final margin 10 points, as the Warriors won their third straight from the Devils.
The Warriors extended the lead to seven points two minutes into the second half, as Davis hit a jumper before the Devils made a run to cut the lead to within two points at 37-35 after a layup by Chris Barsanti. The Devils had a chance to tie it, but a missed jumper was recovered by freshman Kevin Anthony (Atlanta, Ga./Bridgton Academy) and it led to a layup by Anthony. From there, the Warriors let the Devils within one possession just once more, at 46-43 with 9:48 left.
The Warriors took a three-point lead by halftime, thanks in large part to their dominating effort on the glass, leading to a 25-13 advantage in rebounding and an 11-4 lead in second-chance points in the half. The team's effort on the glass was led by the team's big men, as Kellyposted eight points and five rebounds, junior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) adding seven points and four rebounds and freshman Justin Miller (Agawam, Mass./Bridgton Academy) added six points.
The Devils took a 6-2 lead in the first half, but the Warriors scored the next six points, led by four from Bradley, to take an 8-6 lead and the two teams fought through a lead change and two more ties before a 3-pointer from Davis helped the Warriors to a 17-12 advantage with 9:19 left in the half. Dickinson fought back to tie the game at 24, but the Warriors did not trail again in the period and regained a five-point lead at 31-26 on a layup from Miller before a pair of free throws from Matt Dolan helped cut the lead to three at the half.
Bradley finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds to become the first Warrior to post two double-doubles this year, as he notched eight offensive rebounds, helping the Warriors to a 48-33 advantage on the glass.
Two other Warriors finished in double figures, as Williams finished with 10 points and six assists, as he passed Jonathan Pribble (2002-06) for 10th in school history with 213 career assists. Davis finished with 10 points and four rebounds for his 15th straight double-figure game. Rudy added nine points, five rebounds and two blocks and Miller posted six points and two boards.
Douglas Jakiela led the Devils with 15 points and Dolan added 12 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Chris Barsanti also added 11 points and four rebounds and Chris Heine posted nine points, four rebounds and two steals as he hit three treys.
The Warriors will take 11 days off for the Holiday before getting back on the court on Thursday, Dec. 30, when Shenandoah comes to Lamade Gym for a 6:30 p.m. tip.