ASTON, PA – The Susquehanna University men's basketball team overcame a slow-shooting first half and a 14-point second half deficit at Neumann Saturday by outscoring Neumann in the closing minutes and stifling defense towards a 59-53 win. The River Hawks run their win streak to five to enter winter break with a 7-2 overall record.

The River Hawks started off slow with a first-half shooting percentage of 26.7 on 8-of-30, including a few possessions where one or two offensive rebounds were not enough for second-chance points. The Knights built up a 16-4 lead before coach Frank Marcinek called his first timeout. Down 24-13, Susquehanna persevered and rallied to get back in the game with a 10-2 run to close the half behind just 26-23.

Neumann regained control and appeared to have SU in the rearview possessing a 39-25 lead with 15 minutes to go. Behind 44-32, the orange and maroon again narrowed the deficit with a 19-3 run, bolstered by Cooper Haberern's go-ahead 3-pointer that made it 51-49 for their first lead of the game with just over four minutes remaining. With the Knights going 1-for-2 on free throws on their ensuing possession, Billy Anderson made back-to-back statements with a pair of layups that put SU back up by two possessions at 55-50. NU posed one final threat with a free throw and a Ja'bri White layup to make it 55-53, but the River Hawks stood their ground as Jackson Van Wagener answered with a layup on the ensuing possession, then Marcus Mitchell delivering a resounding dunk in the closing seconds to ice the game.

Susquehanna countered its first-half shooting efficiency with a potent 53.57 percentage in the second half (15-28) for a 39.7 total (23-58). The River Hawks made the most of their free throw opportunities shooting 8-of-10 and 5-of-20 from behind the arc compared to the Knights' 6-of-9 and 3-of-9, respectively. Once again the River Hawks' scoring of the bench proved plenty with a 27-5 lead in that category.

Emezie Egeonu charted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, leading the team in boards where Susquehanna won the game on the glass 40-31, including 15 offensive rebounds. Fellow big man Billy Anderson's clutch scoring down the stretch aided to a 10-point night to go with three rebounds and 4-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench. Van Wagener was the team leader in scoring with 13 points, making 6-of-11 from the field with one three. Brandon Lavitt grabbed eight rebounds for second on the team with seven points.

Head coach Frank Marcinek's team have the better part of two weeks to rest for winter break before returning to action down in Virginia for the Washington & Lee Tournament, which they'll open on Dec. 29 versus Denison at 4 p.m.