Box Score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – A rematch of the 2008 Pepsi/Weis
Tip-Off Tournament championship game between Susquehanna and
King's College (Pa.) again failed to go SU's way as the
Monarchs came away with a 67-61 win on Saturday afternoon.
Four Crusader players tallied double figures, led by 14 from
Harvey Pannell, but late free throws by the
Monarchs prevented SU from mounting a comeback.
Both teams shot nearly 42 percent from the field and Susquehanna
(1-1) held a 36-30 edge in rebounds, but 17 SU turnovers translated
into 18 King's points.
Joining Pannell in double figures were J.T.
Wilson and Spenser Spencer with 12
apiece, and senior Rob Estep, who added 10. Wilson
also led SU with 10 boards for his first double-double of the young
season.
The Crusaders opened the championship game with a 10-2 run that
chipped nearly eight minutes off the clock, aided in part by a
defensive effort that held King's scoreless for more than
four minutes to open play.
Spencer kept SU ahead by eight (17-9) with a layup at the 8:54
mark, his first basket of the game.
King's Ian Oakley failed to convert on a three-point play
and Pannell countered by making two free throws for his squad for a
19-11 score with 7:27 on the clock.
The Monarchs Dan Maguschak was successful on a second-chance
layup that made it 21-15 and forced SU head coach Frank
Marcinek to call his first timeout of the afternoon.
With just over four minutes remaining in the first half, Pannell
found Wilson under the basket for the easy bucket and a 24-15
Crusaders lead.
Susquehanna missed a chance for its first double-digit lead
after Wilson missed two free throws and Pannell was called for an
offensive charge with less than three minutes remaining.
The Crusaders picked up their 10th foul with 1:48 on
the clock in the midst of a scoring drought that lasted the final
3:36 of the half as King's proceeded to cut what had been a
nine-point lead to one, 26-25.
King's stretched its lead to five (35-30) early in the
second half as SU struggled to get its shots to fall.
Spencer broke through for a layup that made it a two-point
contest, 36-34, but Susquehanna had a hard time pulling closer. The
Monarchs Eric Brown and Joe Caffrey sank back-to-back treys that
put the Crusaders in a 44-36 hole nearing the midway point of the
second half.
It turned into a double-digit deficit (45-36) following two
King's free throws at the 10:10 mark, but the Monarchs
reached their 10th foul of the half with 9:01 still to
play, aiding SU's chances to regain the lead.
A three-point play by the King's Kevin Conroy put the
Crusaders back in a double-digit hole, 54-55, with 7:38 remaining.
Spencer immediately responded with a three from three feet beyond
the arc for a 54-47 score.
That basket sparked an 8-0 Crusaders run that included a
three-pointer from Wilson with four minutes to play for a two-point
game (54-52).
With 1:09 on the clock, Wilson's layup kept the lead at
five (61-56), but Spencer was forced to foul before too much time
ran off the clock. Kyle Stackhouse made both attempts, leaving SU
50 seconds with which to work.
Another intentional foul by Wilson marked his fifth of the game
and put Kyle Hammonds at the line for two. He made one for a 63-56
score before Estep sank a three with 16 seconds remaining to make
it 63-59 and breathe new life into his team.
Unfortunately the Monarchs evaded SU's defenders, who
could not foul until Hammonds had already made a layup. Hammonds
converted on the three-point play with eight seconds on the clock
to effectively seal the 67-61 win.
Susquehanna failed to avenge an 88-80, overtime loss to
King's in the 2008 championship game.
Next game: Tuesday, Nov. 23 vs. Lycoming at 7 p.m.
Tournament MVP: Kevin Conroy (King's)
All-Tournament Team:
Judah Jackson (Bridgewater St.)
Leroy Joiner (Penn College)
Kyle Stackhouse (King's)
Rob Estep (Susquehanna)
J.T. Wilson (Susquehanna)
