Warriors Denied Title in Loss to Widener

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming men’s basketball was denied its eighth straight Lycoming Tip-Off Tournament title in a 77-72 loss to Widener University on Saturday afternoon.  Widener improves to 2-0 on the season while the Warriors fall to 1-1.

A balanced Widener attack and rebounding proved to be the major difference as the Pioneers controlled the glass by a 42-22 count.  Tournament MVP Kris Clarkson ripped down a game-high 11 boards to go along with his team-best 22 points.  The remaining four Pioneer starters also scored in double figures.

Senior Jonathan Pribble (Woolrich, Pa./Central Mountain) led all scorers with 36 points on 13-20 shooting.  He canned six three pointers and snared five rebounds.  Sophomore Kevin Morris (Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) added 13 points and senior Patrick Baylor (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara) notched 10 in support.  Senior point guard Brad Musser (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) was spot-on running the Warriors offense with a game-high 11 assists.

Pribble fired in 14 points in the opening stanza, but Clarkson and Essien Ford countered with 16 and 10 points, respectively.  Although Lycoming out-shot Widener in the first half (53.8 percent to 48.4 percent), the Pioneers went into the intermission with a 37-31 lead. 

Widener came out strong in the second frame running out to a 10-point advantage with just a little more than a minute gone.  The Pioneers advantage would hover between five and eight points for much of the middle portion of the half until Widener opened up a 13-point gap with 3:21 left to play.

Lycoming made a push down the stretch.  Pribble led the charge with 10-points in the time remaining, but Widener made the most of its free throw opportunities led by Brandon Blakey’s 6-8 showing from the stripe in the final three minutes.

Lycoming is next in action on Tuesday, November 22, as the Warriors travel to Elizabethtown College.  Game time is schedule for 7:30 p.m..