SELINSGROVE, Pa. – There was no need for overtime this time around as the Susquehanna University men's basketball team dominated Drew University from start to finish Wednesday night. Drew (17-5, 8-3 LC), the Landmark Conference's top team, had no answer for Susquehanna's full-court press and high-energy defense as the River Hawks (15-7, 8-3 LC) blew past Drew, 79-54, in a key conference matchup.
 
Tonight's result sets a three-way tie for first in the Landmark standings as Susquehanna, Drew, and the University of Scranton all own an 8-3 league record following Scranton's loss tonight at Moravian College, who's currently in the fourth spot with a 7-4 mark. With tonight's sweep, the River Hawks hold the tiebreaker with Drew while SU split its series with Scranton. Scranton holds the edge over Drew having beat the Rangers in their first meeting on Jan. 29.
 
Susquehanna 79, Drew 54
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Susquehanna jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and five straight points by Lybrant Robinson put the Rangers right back in it.
• The River Hawks reestablished a six-point advantage at 14:29 before a three-pointer by junior captain Bryce Butler (Abingdon, Md./Suffield) a minute later had SU up by seven.
• Robinson and Howard McBurnie, Jr. combined for the Rangers' next five points to close the gap to 18-14 at 10:54.
• Drew would get no closer as the hosts exploded for a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to boast an 18-point margin (32-14), which grew to 43-20 at 2:24 on a layup by junior guard Mike Kempski (West Chester, Pa./Salesianum) before Susquehanna headed into halftime with a 44-22 advantage as SU's offensive rhythm was unfazed by anything the Rangers threw at them.

 
Halftime

• Kempski and Robinson led all scorers with 10 points each for their respective teams.
• The River Hawks made more than 50-percent of their shots in the first 20 minutes, knocking down 16-of-30 shots while going 8-for-11 (72.7%) at the free throw line.
• Kempski came off the bench to drain 2-of-2 three-pointers as SU was 4-of-6 from downtown.
• Susquehanna controlled the paint, posting a 24-8 advantage in the key, while 14 points off of 12 Ranger miscues.
• Drew shot 31.8-percent (7-22) from the field, including a dismal 2-of-14 from behind the three-point line as the league's top sharpshooter, Michael Boice, was 0-for-1.

 
Second Half

• Back-to-back three-pointers by Drew capped a 10-0 run to start the second half as the Rangers pulled within 44-32 at 17:46.
• SU head coach Frank Marcinek called a 60-second timeout to regroup his squad and pause Drew's momentum.
• Over the next 13-plus minutes, the River Hawks would outscore the visitors, 33-11, to stake an insurmountable 34-point lead with 4:04 remaining in the game. Butler hit three triples and finished with 12 points in the run.
• Another 12 turnovers by Drew led to 19 points for Susquehanna as the hosts edged the Rangers, 35-32, in the second half.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Susquehanna finished the night with a 44-16 advantage in the paint while collecting 33 points off of 24 turnovers by the Rangers.
• The River Hawks dominated the glass by a 42-31 margin as sophomore guard Lukas Yurasits (New York, N.Y./Berkeley Carroll) contributed a game-best eight rebounds.
• SU's shooting percentage took a dip in the second half as the River Hawks cooled off and Drew, the league's top team in blocks, recorded seven blocks over the final 20 minutes.
• Riley Collins, the Landmark's leading scorer with 18.9 points per game coming into tonight's game, was stymied offensively and held to 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
• The River Hawks' in-your-face, active hands defense limited the conference's top scoring team to just 54 points on the night, well below Drew's average of 79.2 points per game.
• Susquehanna now holds a 21-13 record in the all-time series with Drew as the River Hawks swept the season series. Last month, Susquehanna topped the Rangers, 81-78, in overtime on Jan. 15.

 
Top Performers

• Butler finished with a game-high 19 points after pouring in 12 points in the second half. He was 6-of-8 from the field, knocking down all four of his three-pointers, while adding five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
• Kempski contributed 12 points off the bench as he shot 5-of-7 from the floor with 2-for-2 from downtown.
• Yurasits chipped in nine points in addition to his eight rebounds while sophomore guard Danny Frauenheim (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach) dished out five assists and notched four steals.
• Robinson finished the night with 14 points as the Rangers saw their three-game win streak halted.

 
Up Next for the River Hawks

• Feb. 15 at Catholic (8-14, 4-7 LC) – Washington, D.C. / DuFour Center – Landmark Conference game – 2:00 p.m.

 
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