Box Score
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – In what was probably its best all-around game of the season, the Lycoming College men's basketball team jumped out to a 21-2 lead and cruised to a 93-77 win over the Middle Atlantic Region's fourth-ranked Elizabethtown College in a crucial Commonwealth Conference clash on Wednesday night, Feb. 9, at Lamade Gym.
It was a record-breaking night for the Warriors (14-8 overall, 4-7 Commonwealth), as sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) shattered the single-season record for assists, using his nine dimes to give him 163 on the season, as he passed Shaun Morris (2003-04) with his first give.
"I think this is the first real victory we have this year where we played hard for 40 minutes, not just one half," Williams said. "We played well as a collective group."
Freshman Kevin Anthony (Atlanta, Ga./Bridgton Academy) had a huge night, setting career-highs with 27 points and five steals, adding six rebounds, five offensive, and a block.
"I was just trying to go out and give it everything," Anthony said. "Coach has just been telling me all year to play hard and good things will come."
Senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) added his sixth double-double of the season with 23 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.
All of it added up to a great shooting night for the Warriors, who hit 34-of-73 (46.6 percent) from the floor, and many easy shots, as 50 points came from the point and 14 came on the break. The Warriors also used 19 offensive rebounds to score 26 second-chance points, as they did anything but clear up the conference's playoff picture.
At the end of the night, Elizabethtown (16-5 overall, 7-4 Commonwealth) fell into a three-way tie for second in the league with Lebanon Valley and Albright. Meanwhile, the Warriors, at 4-7, are still three games back of the second slot with as many to play, needing to win their final three games against league-leading Alvernia and against Messiah and Widener, who are tied for fifth in the standings with a 5-6 league record.
"I think it's a combination of our young men having some pride and the situation we're in," Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. "The players realize we need to win games down the stretch and the players remembered what happened to us when we played at Elizabethtown. They are a very good team and it's very hard to beat them. I thought our guys did a great job tonight."
Lycoming sent a booming message early in the game from its senior captains, as seniors Sebastian Sabella (Bayside, N.Y./Episcopal School) and Kelly combined to score the first 12 points of the game, with each converting an old-fashioned three-point play in the first 3:15.
The Warriors kept the run going, as a steal from Anthony led to a fastbreak dunk, making the score 21-2 with 14:12 left. The Warriors kept the game drama-free from there, never letting the Blue Jays within 13 points in the ensuing 34 minutes.
Anthony scored 13 points to lead Lycoming's 48-point outburst in the first half, while Kelly added 11 points and nine rebounds in the stanza. Sabella also posted all nine of his points in the first half.
The Warriors got the lead up to 25 points after a layup from Kelly made it 52-27 early in the second half and the Blue Jays spent much of the half working to cut into the lead, finally making it 87-74 with 2:04 left after a 3-pointer from Brady Haughney. The Warriors hit four free throws and a layup in the final two minutes, though, to seal off the final 16-point margin.
Sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) finished with 10 points, four steals and two assists and junior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) added eight points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Williams added four points and three assists and freshman Tyrone McFadden (Lampeter, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) posted six points.
Andrew Mantz was one of four Blue Jays in double figures, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. Joe Flanagan added 12 points and Keith Fogel notched 11 points and four assists. Kyle McConnell added 10 points and four assists.
The Warriors face Alvernia in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader on Saturday, Feb, 12, with the women tipping at 5 p.m. and the men playing at 7 p.m.