SELINSGROVE, PA (February 8, 2023) – The River Hawks men's basketball team took the floor against Juniata College on Wednesday night with a lot to play for, as the winner would take sole possession of second place in the Landmark Conference with only three games left in the regular season. The game would live up to the stakes, as a gritty, defensive affair came down to yet another close finish for SU, but yet again, they finished on the right side of the result, holding on to take a 60-56 victory over the Eagles.
Despite the game staying tight throughout, with the largest gap being 11 points, Susquehanna would hold the lead for the entirety of the game, scoring their first bucket through a Quincy Haughton jumper two minutes into the first half and never relinquishing the lead. Haughton would do plenty more scoring as the game progressed, pacing all scorers with a career-high 26 points. Lethal from mid-range, Haughton was 10 of 19 from the floor, also adding three rebounds, a block, and a steal.
SU would score the first eight points, with Howie Rankine, Jr. hitting back-to-back three pointers following Haughton's opening score. Juniata would finally get on the board at the 16:04, and cut the gap down to three before Haughton responded with a converted and-one play. This would be a consistent theme, as Haughton showed up with numerous momentum-shifting buckets whenever the Eagles got within striking distance. He would hit a three-pointer at the 6:31 mark to make the score 22-13 before a made free throw by Emezie Egeonu gave SU their first double-digit advantage. The Eagles would push back, and aided by a perfect 11 of 11 performance from the foul line in the first half, they cut the lead to seven by halftime.
The second half would begin much like the first, with Haughton netting the first points on two made free throws, then hitting a jumper to give SU that 11-point advantage. The teams would trade buckets down the stretch, with SU staying just out of touch of the visitors, though they would cut the gap to just two points at the 3:45 mark. The River Hawks would respond with two straight buckets to push the lead back to six, and Juniata would score just three more points, then fouling to send Rankine, Jr. to the line, where he made the score 60-56 and iced the game.
Despite being well-below his typical scoring output, Rankine, Jr. still managed to tally 10 points, also adding seven rebounds and an assist while dominating on defense with a game-high five steals. First-year Brandon Lavitt led SU in rebounds with 11.
Plenty of excitement awaits SU in the remaining three games of the regular season, with a close race in the standings for the top four seeds, and a chance to face off with current conference leaders, Catholic, on Saturday. The Cardinals are an impressive 21-1 overall this season, but it was Susquehanna who dealt them their only loss, beating them by 13 in their own gym. SU will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday as well, while the pivotal matchup will tipoff at 4 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
