Jan 22, 2014
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ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – There were no looks of deflation, no heads hung, no moping. After surrendering a lead it held for nearly the entire second half with six seconds left, the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team responded with determination and a crazy off-balance running 3-pointer from Phil Wenger with two seconds left to upset Stevenson, 65-63, Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Elizabethtown trailed 23-13 in the first half before ending the period on a 15-0 run. It didn't trail in the second half until Alfonzo Hawkins' layup with 46 seconds to play broke a 59-59 tie. Twenty seconds later, the Blue Jays (7-9, 4-5 Commonwealth Conference) got the first of two game-saving, last-minute treys.
Lee Eckert, arguably the team's most consistent player this season, kicked the ball out of the post on the right wing where Will Schlosser launched from less than a step inside the E-town bench and hit for a 62-61 lead.
At the other end, the Mustangs (12-4, 7-2 CC) –receivers of 20 votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll– sharply quieted the crowd when Erik Fisher converted a pretty spin and dish from Hawkins in the lane with less than seven seconds left.
Wenger took the inbounds pass from Eckert a few feet off the baseline and raced up court, splitting Stevenson's Justin Kuntz and Hawkins at the midcourt logo. The Lancaster Catholic grad had just a fraction of a second to take his eyes from the ball to the basket, letting his shot go while drifting right. The desparation shot hit all twine as Thompson Gymnasium erupted in bedlam. The Blue Jays are making a habit of beating the buzzer at home.
Last February 6, Schlosser hit a triple at the second half horn to send the Blue Jays to overtime against Widener. Ben Cable turned in two game-winners last season as well, first beating Susquehanna with a jumper from the left elbow in a 66-64 triumph on Nov. 25, and then canning a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining against Hood in a 65-64 win on Dec. 8. During the 2011-12 season, Schlosser beat Scranton on a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4.8 seconds to go.
Stevenson was paced by 13 points a piece from Justin Kuntz and Erik Fisher. They both grabbed ten rebounds and combined for six offensive boards. Darius Walker and Alfonzo Hawkins added 12 points each.
Lee Eckert and Andrew Mantz finished with double-doubles for EC. Eckert had a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Mantz finished with 12 points, 11 boards, and five blocks. Joe Schwalm also had 12 for the Jays.
Elizabethtown and Stevenson both shot 37 percent for the game, and the Blue Jays' defense held a Mustangs team that was averaging nearly 86 points per game to just 63. It is only the second time this season that Stevenson has been held below 70 points. E-town opponents had been averaging 80.5 points per game.
The men's basketball team will look to keep momentum on their side as they host Lycoming this Saturday, January 25, at 3 p.m.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – There were no looks of deflation, no heads hung, no moping. After surrendering a lead it held for nearly the entire second half with six seconds left, the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team responded with determination and a crazy off-balance running 3-pointer from Phil Wenger with two seconds left to upset Stevenson, 65-63, Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Elizabethtown trailed 23-13 in the first half before ending the period on a 15-0 run. It didn't trail in the second half until Alfonzo Hawkins' layup with 46 seconds to play broke a 59-59 tie. Twenty seconds later, the Blue Jays (7-9, 4-5 Commonwealth Conference) got the first of two game-saving, last-minute treys.
Lee Eckert, arguably the team's most consistent player this season, kicked the ball out of the post on the right wing where Will Schlosser launched from less than a step inside the E-town bench and hit for a 62-61 lead.
At the other end, the Mustangs (12-4, 7-2 CC) –receivers of 20 votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll– sharply quieted the crowd when Erik Fisher converted a pretty spin and dish from Hawkins in the lane with less than seven seconds left.
Wenger took the inbounds pass from Eckert a few feet off the baseline and raced up court, splitting Stevenson's Justin Kuntz and Hawkins at the midcourt logo. The Lancaster Catholic grad had just a fraction of a second to take his eyes from the ball to the basket, letting his shot go while drifting right. The desparation shot hit all twine as Thompson Gymnasium erupted in bedlam. The Blue Jays are making a habit of beating the buzzer at home.
Last February 6, Schlosser hit a triple at the second half horn to send the Blue Jays to overtime against Widener. Ben Cable turned in two game-winners last season as well, first beating Susquehanna with a jumper from the left elbow in a 66-64 triumph on Nov. 25, and then canning a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining against Hood in a 65-64 win on Dec. 8. During the 2011-12 season, Schlosser beat Scranton on a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4.8 seconds to go.
Stevenson was paced by 13 points a piece from Justin Kuntz and Erik Fisher. They both grabbed ten rebounds and combined for six offensive boards. Darius Walker and Alfonzo Hawkins added 12 points each.
Lee Eckert and Andrew Mantz finished with double-doubles for EC. Eckert had a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Mantz finished with 12 points, 11 boards, and five blocks. Joe Schwalm also had 12 for the Jays.
Elizabethtown and Stevenson both shot 37 percent for the game, and the Blue Jays' defense held a Mustangs team that was averaging nearly 86 points per game to just 63. It is only the second time this season that Stevenson has been held below 70 points. E-town opponents had been averaging 80.5 points per game.
The men's basketball team will look to keep momentum on their side as they host Lycoming this Saturday, January 25, at 3 p.m.
