LYCOMING MEN’S BASKETBALL WINS TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Lycoming College men’s basketball team hosted Geneseo State, Saturday afternoon, in the championship game of the Lycoming Tip-Off Tourney. For the second consecutive game, the Warriors dug themselves a hole in the first half only to come storming back to a victory in the second half. Lycoming trailed by 14 points at halftime, but doubled up the Knights in the second half to win by a score of 75-64. The Warriors improve to 2-0 on the season and win their tip-off tournament for the seventh straight year. Geneseo drops to 1-1.

Joe Zera led the Knights in the first half with 27 of his team’s 39 points as the visitors carried a 39-25 lead into the locker room. Lycoming, however, held Geneseo scoreless for the first six minutes of the second half to cut their deficit to just three. The two squads played about even for the next ten minutes until Brad Musser (Jr./Mifflinburg, Pa.; Mifflinburg) made a free throw to give the Warriors their first lead of the game at 58-57 with four minutes to play.

It was all Lycoming the rest of the way as the home team outscored their opponent 17-7 in the final four minutes.

Jonathan Pribble (Jr./Woolrich, Pa.; Central Mountain) led the Warriors in scoring with 19 points, including 15 in the second half. He also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Shaun Morris (Sr./Camp Hill, Pa.; Trinity) added 16 markers, while his brother Kevin Morris (Fr./Camp Hill, Pa.; Trinity) chipped in 15 points. Musser tallied a game-high nine assists and was the second half spark for Lycoming, scoring nine of his 11 points in the second 20 minutes. He also drew the defensive assignment of guarding Zera in the second half, limiting the Knights’ top offensive option to just five points before the final minute when the game was in hand.

Zera finished the game with 36 points, including four three-pointers. Tarik Kitson added seven points and six rebounds off the bench.

In the consolation game, Alfred defeated John Jay, 71-49, behind a 32-point, 13-rebound performance by Dillon Stein. Rob McCarter added 12 points and eights boards for the Saxons. The Bloodhounds were led by James Clark with 23 points and Dustin Yeates with 10.

Pribble was named the tournament’s most valuable player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Musser, Zera, Stein, and Clark.

The Warriors will play again on Tuesday, November 23, when they host Elizabethtown College at 8 p.m. in Lamade Gymnasium.