Box Score

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – For the second year in a row, the Susquehanna men's basketball team could not get past King's in the championship game of the Pepsi Tip-Off Tournament as the Crusaders fell 73-69 on Saturday afternoon.

SU (2-1) saw three players reach double figures led by freshman Steven Weidlich's (Watchung, N.J./Watchung Hills) 22 points, with 15 of those points coming from beyond the arc. Harley Sellinger (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) chipped in 18 points and a team-high 13 boards (six offensive) while Brandon Hedley (Silver Spring, Md./Salisbury Prep) finished with 16 points and dished out a game-high 10 assists. Weidlich and Sellinger were both named to the All-Tournament Team.

As a team, Susquehanna shot better than 51 percent from the floor while holding the Monarchs (4-0) to a 38.5 clip, but King's sank 61 percent of its three pointers and nearly 79 percent of its free throw attempts.

It was all SU to start the game, however, as the Crusaders jumped out to 17-3 lead after less than seven minutes of action. Midway through the period, Susquehanna led by 17 (24-7) after a Matt McGugan (Silver Spring, Md./Blake) trey.

King's ended the half by holding the Crusaders to just 10 more points while scoring 25 of its own to trim that lead to just two (34-32) as the teams headed into halftime.

Much like the first half, SU came out strong to open the second period, building its lead back up to double digits (46-35) on a Weidlich three with 17:34 to play.

With Susquehanna still leading by eight, 50-42, with 13:25 remaining, the Monarchs proceeded to go on a 13-4 run to take their first lead of the game at 55-54 with 8:53 on the clock.

A Hedley jumper at the three-minute mark briefly handed a one-point lead back to SU (65-64) and another Hedley jumper at the 1:46 mark kept his team in the lead by two (68-66). King's was able to close out the game, though, by scoring seven of the final eight points to come back to win the 73-69 decision.

The Crusaders remain at home to host Penn State-Harrisburg on Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.

Men's All-Tournament Team:
Trinity: #21 Alexander Conaway
Wilkes-Barre: #13 Kenny Randall
SU: #24 Steven Weidlich, #52 Harley Sellinger
King's: #34 Dan Rutceki, #22 Kyle Hammonds (MVP)