Warriors Come Up on Wrong End of Classic Battle
Wilkes Remains Only Undefeated Team in Freedom Conference
Box score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- For years, the annual Wilkes University-Lycoming College men’s basketball battle has been a crowd pleaser in Lamade Gymnasium.  But for the first time since the 2000-2001 season, the tides turned on the blue and gold faithful as the Colonels bested the Warriors in Williamsport 64-52 in a Freedom Conference showdown.  Lycoming slides to 8-8, 2-3 on the year while Wilkes improves to 9-4, 5-0 and remains the only undefeated team in the Freedom Conference.

Sophomore forward Kevin Morris (Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) came off the bench to the lead the Warriors with 15 points including a trio of first half three-point hits.  He also dished out three assists and ripped away just as many steals.  Senior Jonathan Pribble (Woolrich, Pa./Central Mountain) was the only other Warrior in double figures with 14 points to go along with six rebounds.

The Colonels made the going tough for Lycoming’s preseason all-american in contesting each or Pribble’s 12 shot attempts.  Several times he was forced into off-balance jumpers, a sign that he would not find any daylight to zero-in his dead-eye three-point prowess.

Wilkes’ swingman Chris Shovlin dropped in a game high 19 points including three long range jumpers himself.  He also pulled down seven boards and registered three steals.  Fellow guard Mike Constantine’s 10 points was the only other double digit mark for the Colonels.

The game was close throughout the first half with neither team able to gain a sizeable advantage.  Wilkes got out to a 7-2 lead with the help of five points by Shovlin.  Lycoming would get a three-pointer form Morris and two points apiece from Pribble and senior Patrick Baylor (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara) to forge in front 9-7 at the 12:24 mark.

Lycoming would hold their final lead of the first half following a pair of Pribble free throws that gave the Warriors a 27-26 advantage.  Wilkes’ Dan Adams responded with a bucket inside for the Colonels late in the half to put Wilkes on top 28-27 at intermission.

The Colonels would open the second half by out-scoring Lycoming 11-0 to take a double-figure lead, 39-27.  Evan Walters converted a missed shot into a field goal and Greg Cardamone scored off an assist from Shovlin to give Wilkes a 32-27 lead.  Shovlin then nailed a three-pointer and scored on a drive to extend the lead to 37-27.  Michael Constantine finished off the spurt with two free throws that made it 39-27 with 13:29 remaining.

Lycoming would climb back into the game with a 6-0 run that featured four points by Pribble.  That string of points would cut the Wilkes lead to 39-33 with 11:33 left. 

The Warriors would close to within two points on three different occasions in the second frame.  The final time came with 8:01 left when freshman Shawn Harper (Piscataway, N.J./St. Joseph’s Metuchen) scored on a drive to make it 47-45.  But, Wilkes immediately responded with seven unanswered points to regain control. 

Lycoming would pare the lead to six on two occasions.  The final time came with 3:43 remaining when freshman Greg Sye (Chantilly, Pa./Chantilly) scored to make it 56-50.  Wilkes would then put the game away with eight straight points, including five by Constantine to take a 64-50 lead. 

The Warriors are next in action on Saturday, January 21, as Lycoming travels to Delaware Valley College.  The Freedom Conference match up with the Aggies is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.