SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Team captains Matt LaCorte (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and Zachary Knecht (Parkland, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) combined for 47 points as the Susquehanna University men's basketball team came out on top in the battle of Landmark Conference unbeaten Wednesday night. Susquehanna (12-4, 5-0 LC) held on for an exciting 75-73 triumph over the University of Scranton Royals (12-4, 4-1 LC).
 
Susquehanna 75, Scranton 73
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Knecht scored the first six points for Susquehanna while sophomore guard Lukas Yurasits (New York, N.Y./Berkeley Carroll) notched the next five as the River Hawks opened up a 14-6 lead in the first four minutes of the game.
• The Royals would outscore SU, 20-11, over the next seven minutes to reclaim a one-point lead for the third and final time at 8:59.
• Susquehanna tallied 18 of the half's final 27 points to carry a 43-35 advantage into halftime.

 
Halftime

• Knecht put up 15 points in less than 13 minutes to lead all scorers at the break as he was 6-of-11 from the field and 3-for-3 at the free throw line.
• As a team, the River Hawks turned seven Scranton turnovers into 13 points while shooting 53.1-percent for the half, including 6-of-9 from downtown. LaCorte knocked down half of the team's triples as he was 3-of-5 from behind the three-point arc.
• Jackson Danzig and Logan Bailey each had 10 points to lead Scranton, who shot 46.7-percent and made a third of its 15 three-point attempts.
• Danzig helped the Royals post a 16-15 rebounding margin with five boards.

 
Second Half

• A slow start by the River Hawks had them missing their first four shots of the half, allowing Scranton to pull within 43-41 as Bailey tallied the first four points for his team.
• LaCorte drained his fourth three-pointer of the game out of the timeout to spark a quick 5-1 spurt and give Susquehanna a 48-42 margin at 16:44.
• The Royals would close the gap to one twice over the next minute before the River Hawks created some separation with a 10-2 run behind five points from LaCorte for a 60-51 lead, their biggest of the game, at 10:52.
• Scranton turned up the heat once again with an 11-3 run to come within one for a third time at 6:31 but the River Hawks rebuilt a seven-point lead at 1:25 as a pair of defensive plays by Yurasits led to the first five points of a 10-4 run.
• The Royals closed out the game on a 7-2 run as Bailey scored the team's final jumper and then tied up the ball with 7.9 seconds left on the clock with the possession arrow in Scranton's favor.
• Bailey was driving in the lane in the final seconds to potentially knot the game and force overtime but Bailey never got his shot off because sophomore guard Danny Frauenheim (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach) stole the ball as time expired.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Susquehanna shot 47.5-percent for the game, including 11-of-17 from distance as LaCorte fired in a career-high eight three-pointers. The River Hawks were also 8-for-9 at the charity stripe.
• SU capitalized on Scranton's 16 turnovers with 25 points.
• The Royals controlled the glass with a 36-24 rebounding margin, giving them 19 second chance points.
• Scranton also handled itself in the paint, outscoring the hosts, 42-32, and finished the game shooting 50.0-percent from the floor with six triples. The Royals were also 13-of-17 from the line.

 
Top Performers

• LaCorte led all scorers with a career-high 26 points as he dropped 17 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting from downtown. He finished the game 8-of-12 from distance.
• Knecht matched his career-high of 21 points for his first 20-point game of the season as he was 9-of-17 from the floor. He also hauled in six rebounds.
• Yurasits contributed 11 points, three assists, and two steals while junior captain Bryce Butler (Abingdon, Md./Suffield Academy) led the team with seven boards and Frauenheim had a game-best five assists.
• Bailey finished with 24 on 10-of-15 shooting to lead Scranton while this week's Landmark Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, Matthew Mancuso, collected a game-best 12 rebounds and nine points.

 
Up Next for the River Hawks

• Jan. 25 vs. Catholic (5-11, 1-4 LC) – Selinsgrove, Pa. / Orlando W. Houts Gymnasium – Alumni Day – Landmark Conference game – 2:00 p.m.

 
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