SELINSGROVE, PA – In the finals of the Susquehanna Tip-Off Tournament the River Hawks fell short of a comeback run against tournament favorites John Carroll University in an 83-73 loss. Susquehanna moves to 2-2 on the season, and will open Landmark Conference play in their next matchup against Goucher in Baltimore.

John Carroll's Luke Frazier recorded the first points of the contest via a fastbreak layup over a minute into the action. Susquehanna's Emezie Egeonu returned fire in the following possession, setting the tone for what would be a back-and-forth battle. A stifling defense from Susquehanna saw them jump ahead in the final seconds of the first half, as Luke Edwards drained a free throw to improve the score to 35-34.

The battle for supremacy continued into the second half, as layups from Egeonu and Brandon Lavitt pushed the score to 45-41 with 15 minutes left in the contest. Susquehanna's offense found no answers for the next six possessions, which included three turnovers. Over three minutes after Lavitt's layup the River Hawks offense added to the scoreboard as Audric Washington flushed a jumper from the paint to move the score to 55-43 in favor of the visitors.

The Blue Streaks controlled the following six minutes of play, improving their lead to 71-53. Redshirt Sophomore Cooper Haberern brought life back into the River Hawks by swishing a three-pointer from beyond the arc, and Junior Marcus Mitchell led a strong offensive display as SU pulled the score to 80-68 with 2:30 remaining. The comeback effort fell just short, however, as the Blue Streaks were crowned the Tip-Off Tournament champions with a final score of 83-73.

Mitchell was named to the all-tournament team thanks to a 17 point performance in the final game, where he shot 7-10 from the field and 3-4 from the free-throw line. Sophomore center Audric Washington was a dominant force in the paint for the River Hawks, as he pulled down seven rebounds and recorded two blocks on the night. John Carroll's Frazier and Luke Chicone were also named to the all-tournament team, along with Nate Curry of Penn State Harrisburg and Cabrini's Isaac Brady.  

Susquehanna will look to their successes and build upon a strong performance against JCU when they take on Landmark rivals Goucher College on the road on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7 P.M.