LYCOMING MEN DEFEAT KING’S IN DOUBLE OVERTIME

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Lycoming College men’s basketball team picked up a big road win by defeating King’s College in double overtime, Wednesday night. In a game that saw 10 ties and 10 lead changes, the Warriors outlasted the Monarchs to post the 97-94 victory.

Lycoming was feeling it early as they shot better than 53% from the field in the first half to build a 10-point advantage heading into the half. King’s, however, reversed that trend and opened the second half with an 11-0 run to gain the lead. The Monarchs extended that lead to as many as eight with only 2:18 to play in regulation. A combination of missed free throws by King’s and clutch shooting by Lycoming pulled the Warriors to within three with 15 ticks showing on the clock. Jason Black (Jr./Duncannon; Susquenita) then became the first hero of the night, converting a three-point play after drawing a foul on a lay-up with eight seconds to play. The Monarchs got two shots off in an effort to win the game but neither fell, sending the game to overtime.

In the first overtime, Lycoming pulled ahead by three in the opening minutes, but Corey Dickerson hit a huge three-pointer for King’s to erase the minor deficit. With 46 seconds to play and the Warriors down 84-85, Chris Napier (Jr./Port Jervis, NY; Minisink Valley) went to the free-throw line. Napier converted 1-of-2 to knot the game at 85. The Monarchs again had the opportunity to win the game, but a shot by Dickerson was off the mark and neither team could get a handle on the loose ball, sending the game to a second extra period.

The difference in the second overtime came at the free-throw line. With both teams obviously tired, Lycoming head coach Terry Conrad went with a four-guard lineup and instructed his team to drive to the hoop and look to draw the foul. The strategy worked to perfection as the Warriors made just one field goal in the second OT but were a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Conversely, Lycoming kept their opponents off the line by not committing one foul in the final period.

“I wouldn’t call this a pretty win,” said Conrad. “But halfway through the second half, when we were struggling a bit, I told our guys to just hang in there because I remembered winning an ugly game at home against King’s. They played tough the rest of the way and just refused to lose.”

Napier led the team with 30 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and tallied six assists. David Ganisin (Sr./Endicott; Endicott Union) added 18 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Rob Johnson (Jr./Bradley Beach, NJ; Manasquan) provided a spark off the bench with 16 points, including six in the overtime periods. Thomas Wesner (So./Dillsburg; Northern Senior) led the team with 10 rebounds, while scoring 12 points and recording six assists.

“So many guys came up big for us tonight,” said Conrad. “Jason [Black] drawing the foul at the end of regulation, Rob Johnson in overtime played some great defense against Dickerson, Napier and Ganisin hitting big free throws, everyone stepped up when they had to. This was our first overtime game of the year and it is a big win.”