BETHLEHEM, PA (February 18, 2023) – The Susquehanna men's basketball team ended their regular season on a high note, winning their fifth-straight game and clinching the number one seed in the Landmark Conference as they beat Moravian on the road, defeating the Greyhounds 82-68.
The offenses were rolling in the opening minutes, as SU would jump out to a 4-0 lead before a ten-point run from Moravian would eventually put them up by seven, their largest lead of the game. With the score 15-8, Susquehanna would respond with their own scoring run of nine points to reclaim the lead. Moravian would push back, taking the lead again and again extending to a seven-point gap. Susquehanna cut into the lead in the final seconds, with Marcus Mitchell hitting a layup with 27 seconds left before a steal from Jackson Van Wagener and well-placed lead pass to Billy Anderson set up another layup as time expired and made the score 37-35 in Moravian's favor at the halftime whistle.
Anderson continued to show up in a big way for the River Hawks, scoring 11 points in the second half as SU's offense hit a new gear, scoring 47 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and an even loftier 55.6 percent from three-point range, making five shots from distance after hitting only one in the first. SU would tie the game back up less than 30 seconds into the half and after some back-and-forth possessions, Susquehanna would take the lead on a made free throw by Quincy Haughton and never relinquish it, stretching out to a double-digit advantage with eight minutes left in the game. It would reach a peak of 18 points with four minutes left and Susquehanna would remain well in control in the final minutes.
Anderson had the game of his young career, capping off his debut season with a career-high 21 points on 10 of 15 shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds. The senior guard duo of Quincy Haughton and Howie Rankine, Jr. tallied 17 and 15 points, respectively, with Rankine, Jr. also snagging a team-high nine rebounds. The team as a whole would dominate the glass, winning the rebounding battle 53-35 as they pulled down a hefty 22 offensive rebounds.
Susquehanna will now prepare for their Landmark semifinal matchup as the number one seed, hosting Juniata College on Wednesday, February 22 at 7 pm for a spot in the championship game. The River Hawks and Eagles split the season series one each, with both teams winning at home. The game will also be an identical rematch of last season's semifinal as SU was the number one seed and faced number four seed Juniata. Susquehanna wraps up the regular season at 16-9 overall and 11-3 in the conference.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
