SELINSGROVE, PA - The win streak was stretched to 10 games for the Susquehanna men's basketball team on Wednesday night, as they defeated the University of Scranton by double-digits in a tough, physical game. The River Hawks avenged their lone conference loss back on January 12th to the Royals, winning on their strong defensive play that has seen some great performances over the win streak.
Susquehanna stretched their win streak to 10 games, matching their longest win streak since the 2016-17 season when the team won 10 straight games early in their season. The River Hawks defense has vastly improved from earlier in their season, as they have switched primarily to a zone defense, which is now holding teams to just 50.3 points per game in their last ten games.
Dominic Dunn led the offensive effort for the River Hawks, as the redshirt junior contributed 20 points and eight rebounds on the night. Dunn shot 7-16 from the floor and also nailed two three-pointers in his sixth 20-point game of the season.
Jack Van Syckle provided a big effort in the paint, posting a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Van Syckle was inserted into the starting lineup back on January 19th and the team is 10-0 since his addition to the lineup. He played 31 minutes on Wednesday night, helping to subdue the inside presence of Scranton that only managed five second chance points after having 16 in their win back in January.
The first half was a fairly close affair, as a Dunn buzzer beater in transition gave Susquehanna a lead heading into the break. The Royals went 5-8 from three in the first stanza, allowing them to hold an advantage throughout the first period. The River Hawks shot just 36 percent from the field in the first half, compared to 46 percent from Scranton, but held the lead forcing seven turnovers from the Royals.
SU began the second half on a 11-4 run to get out to an eight-point lead early and to slowly pull away from the visitors from Scranton. Susquehanna made a clear effort to work the ball inside more and to drive to the rim, and it paid dividends as they outscored Scranton 22-6 on points in the paint in the second half. The River Hawk lead reached as much as 14 with 4:25 to go, as the team lead by double-digits for much of the final half of play.
Danny Frauenheim and
Lukas Yurasits both reached double-figure scoring totals on Wednesday, as Frauenheim ended with 12 points and six assists, while Yurasits posted 10 points and seven rebounds.
Howie Rankine, Jr. chipped in six points to lead the bench scorers, but also had five steals to pace the team defensively.
Jackson Danzig scored 15 points for Scranton to lead their offense, while Stephen Braunstein knocked down four three-pointers to add 14 points in the losing effort.
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