SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Susquehanna University men's basketball team will continue dancing after erasing an 11-point second-half deficit Friday afternoon in their NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament First Round matchup with Benedictine (IL) University. Susquehanna (21-7) outscored Benedictine (20-7), 26-10, over the game's final 11 minutes to earn a spot in the NCAA Second Round.
 
Three River Hawks scored in double digits as SU extended its win streak to eight. Susquehanna will face the winner of No. 9 Wittenberg University and La Roche University tomorrow, Saturday, March 7, at 6:00 p.m. in the NCAA Second Round. At the time of posting (Mar. 6, 6:50 pm), Wittenberg led La Roche, 43-35, at halftime.


 
Susquehanna is enjoying its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and first since the program's Sweet 16 run in 2017. The River Hawks are now 8-8 in NCAA postseason action. SU is attending the 'big dance' by virtue of its 86-69 victory over the University of Scranton in the 2020 Landmark Conference Championship game on Feb. 29, grabbing the league's automatic qualifying bid to the tournament.
 
Susquehanna 64, Benedictine 54
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Senior captain Zachary Knecht (Parkland, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) and Yurasits put the River Hawks on the board with a 5-0 lead at 18:23 and then moved to a 13-7 advantage at 14:14 on a jumper by sophomore guard Danny Frauenheim (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach).
• Benedictine handled SU's pressure defense and put together a 16-4 run in response to lead by six at 6:25 on a three-pointer by Bradley Cherry.
• Susquehanna cut the lead to three twice over the next three minutes before the Eagles stretched their margin to 31-22 on a triple by Kenny Bogus at 1:05.
• Following two Frauenheim free throws and a Benedictine turnover, Knecht had the River Hawks within five with 23 seconds left in the half.
• Fouled on a three-point shot, Bogus made two of three to send the Eagles into halftime with a 33-26 advantage.

 
Halftime

• Yurasits and Knecht led Susquehanna with eight points while Eric Grygo also had eight point to lead his Eagles.
• Knecht was 4-of-5 from the field while sophomore Jay Martin (Columbia, Md./River Hill) snared five boards.
• Grygo also grabbed five rebounds to give Benedictine the 20-17 edge on the boards.
• The River Hawks were ice cold from downtown, hitting only two of 13 attempts from behind the three-point line, while BU was 6-of-13 (46.2%).

 
Second Half

• The Eagles turned a seven-point halftime lead into a 49-38 advantage at 11:11 as they outscored SU, 16-12, in the first nine minutes by knocking down four three-pointers.
• Susquehanna picked up their defensive pressure, forcing BU into three turnovers and holding them scoreless for the next six minutes while the River Hawks put together a 12-0 run sparked by four straight points by Martin for their first lead since 14-12 at 12:15 of the first half.
• Bogus would go 4-for-4 at the line to put Benedictine back in front, 53-50, with 3:45 left in the game.
• A driving layup by Yurasits and 1-of-2 by Frauenheim knotted the game at 53 all at 2:55 before the two sides traded leads over the next two minutes until a Knecht layup put Susquehanna ahead for good, 59-58, with less than a minute to go.
• The River Hawks closed out the game by going 5-for-6 at the charity stripe.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Benedictine went cold on all fronts in the second half as the Eagles' shooting percentage dropped from 35.5-percent to 26.1-percent while being careless with the ball with 11 second-half turnovers after only having five in the first half.
• The River Hawks' shooting saw improvement as it went from 30.0-percent to 40.6-percent, although SU's three-point shooting remained sluggish with only 5-of-23 (21.7%) on the day.
• Additionally, Susquehanna was able to make the most of its possessions with only four miscues in the second half for nine total in the game.
• Knecht's 13 points helped SU post a 26-12 margin in the paint.

 
Top Performers

• Yurasits put up his third consecutive 20-point performance as he finished shooting 8-of-13, including 4-of-8 from downtown, for 20 points. He also added four rebounds.
• Frauenheim contributed 13 second-half points to finish with 15 while dishing out a game-best five assists and hauling in four boards.
• Knecht ended his day with 13 points and seven caroms while Martin grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds as Susquehanna finished the game controlling the boards, 39-36. Martin also chipped in six points as he went 4-for-4 at the line.
• Bogus was the only Eagle in double figures as he poured in a game-best 21 points. Benedictine's 2020 season ends with a 20-7 record and on a three-game skid.

 
Up Next for the River Hawks

• Mar. 7 vs. Wittenberg / La Roche – Springfield, Ohio / Wittenberg University / Pam Evans Smith Arena - NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Second Round – 6:00 p.m.

 
Facebook: susquehanna.riverhawks | Instagram: @gosusqu, @susquehannambb
Twitter: @GOsusqU, @Susquehanna_MBB | Hashtags: #AllIn, #GOSU, #RiverHawkPride