Bryce Butler and Matt LaCorte led the River Hawks with 17 points and 14 points respectively while Seth Callahan and Tyler Hoagland each added 9 points as the Susquehanna University Men's Basketball team caught fire in the second half and ran away with an 85-62 victory over King's College in the first round of the Susquehanna Trailways Tip-off at O.W. Houts Gymnasium in Selinsgrove.

Both teams struggled early on the offensive end, as neither team led by more than three points until the final seconds of the first half.

Butler was able to get the team on the board first, as he nailed a three-pointer to give the River Hawks (1-1) an early edge.

King's (0-3) responded with a bucket of their own and the teams went back and forth for the entirety of the half.

Butler had eight points while Dominic Dunn and Hoagland each had five points in the period, but early turnovers allowed King's to stay in the game.

The River Hawks finally were able to take the first two-possession lead in the closing seconds of the half, as a layup by Wes Simons gave the team a 30-26 edge heading into the locker room.

LaCorte and Butler set the tone early in the second half, nailing back-to-back three-pointers out of the gate. A pair of made free throws by Butler and a layup by Hoagland capped a 9-0 run to start the half and forced King's to call a timeout to regroup.

The story remained the same after the timeout as LaCorte and Butler scored the next eight points for the River Hawks as the lead ballooned to 49-31.

Susquehanna kept the pedal down over the middle stages of the second half, with buckets by LaCorte, Dunn, and Callahan keeping the advantage out of reach for the Monarchs.

The closing minutes saw several different players see action, highlighted by a vicious dunk by John Long on a fast break.

The River Hawks outscored the Monarchs 55-36 in the second half on the way to an 85-62 victory.

The team held an advantage in almost every statistical category, as it held an edge in rebounding 40-31 and also knocked down 11 three-pointers. Hoagland had six of Susquehanna's 18 assists. Butler and LaCorte combined to shoot 8 for 10 from deep.

The River Hawks will now face Oneonta in the Championship game Saturday at 3 p.m.