SELINSGROVE, PA (January 26, 2022) -- Senior post player Jack Van Syckle exploded for a career-high 30 points Wednesday, making 15 of his 18 field goals to fuel the Susquehanna University men's basketball team to a big 88-53 win over visiting Moravian University in Landmark Conference play in O.W. Houts Gymnasium. 

The action plan was clear from the start for the River Hawks (13-4, 5-1 Landmark), which was get the ball inside to Van Syckle. The plan worked wonders, as he scored the first 12 points of the game for SU while finishing the first half with 16 points. The 6-9 center continued to roll in the second half, missing just one shot in the period while establishing a new career-high for points and rebounds with 12.

The double-double for Van Syckle was the first of his Susquehanna University career, as he came in averaging 2.8 points per game over the season. Before the contest, Van Syckle had posted 31 points and 15 field goal makes all year, but his 15 makes Wednesday were the most in a game by a River Hawk since November 15, 2016 when Steven Weidlich connected on 18 made buckets in a 120-116 loss to Misericordia University. Van Syckle also became SU's ninth person to lead the team in scoring in a game in 2021-22. 

The game was tight through the first five minutes of the contest, but Susquehanna went on an 11-0 run to take a 19-7 edge after a jumper from senior Lukas Yurasits. The Greyhounds rallied back to trim the SU lead down to a pair at 23-21 after Danny Cooper hit a jumper with 7:54 to go. The host's lead hovered around a two-possession game for most of the remainder of the half, but a late 8-2 spurt gave Susquehanna a 40-30 lead at halftime. 

In the second half, the offensive firepower of SU was on display, as the River Hawks went 21-of-34 (61.8 percent) from the floor including going 19-of-25 on two-point attempts. Susquehanna led by 13 at 13:55 of the game after a jumper by Nate Dougherty for the Greyhounds, but the River Hawks went on a 25-2 run over the next eight minutes of the game, capped by eight straight points from Van Syckle to put the game away. 

Susquehanna would lead by as much as 37 points late in the game, earning their largest Landmark Conference victory since February 18, 2015 when SU knocked off Goucher College 122-76. It was also the largest win for Susquehanna in the all-time series with the Greyhounds. 

Along with Van Syckle's explosion, Yurasits poured in another strong, efficient performance, tallying 23 points thanks to 9-of-11 shooting on the night. Senior Jay Martin finished with six points, seven rebounds and five steals, while Danny Frauenheim posted nine assists and four steals in the win. 

Susquehanna had 10 players score on the night, including four points from Pat Corbett, who established a new career-high for points. SU shot a blistering 57.6 percent (38-66) from the floor on the night, made even more impressive by the fact that it made just 3-of-14 from behind the arc. The River Hawks scored 68 points in the paint, a season-high, while outscoring Moravian 23-5 in transition. SU also posted a 24-3 lead in points off turnovers. 

Cooper booked 12 points to pace Moravian (7-10, 2-5 Landmark) Wednesday, while Dougherty finished with 11 points. MU shot just 37.9 percent (22-58) on field goal attempts for the night, the lowest this season by a Susquehanna opponent. 

Up Next

• Susquehanna will travel down to Washington, DC on Saturday afternoon to take on Catholic University at 2 p.m. in a pivotal Landmark Conference game in our nation's capital. Spectators will be allowed at the game, but proof of vaccination will be required for entry. For more on CUA's Spectator Policy, click the following link: https://cua.prestosports.com/general/2021-22/releases/20220113loiss0

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