SELINSGROVE, PA (January 27, 2024) - The Susquehanna University men's basketball team come from behind to beat the Elizabethtown College Blue Jays 76-66 Saturday afternoon on Alumni Day.  

Coming off a loss to #16 Catholic last Wednesday night, the River Hawks needed to bounce back against a Blue Jays team fighting to stay in the mix for a spot in the Landmark Conference Tournament next month. Both teams started by going back and forth, but just a little over four minutes into the game, Elizabethtown went on a 12-0 run to take a 21-9 lead at the midway point of the first half.  

For the rest of the half Steven Ressler did his best to keep Susquehanna in the contest. The redshirt sophomore scored 19 points in the first half, but the rest of his teammates combined for just 13 points as the River Hawks trailed 38-32 at halftime.  

In the second half the rest of the team stepped up. Ressler took a back seat while Brandon Lavitt, Cooper Haberern, and Michael Pirone handled most of the scoring. Despite this the Blue Jays staved off every attempt the River Hawks made to go on a run as they led 58-46 with just over 10 minutes remaining, and 65-58 with just over five minutes remaining.  

What followed was possibly the best five minutes of basketball the River Hawks played all season thus far. Susquehanna ended the game on an 18-1 run, which started with a barrage of free throws from Lavitt, Haberern, and Pirone to cut the deficit to four. However, the best was yet to come. Back-to-back baskets by Pirone gave the River Hawks the lead with under three minutes left, then a defensive stop and clutch triple on the other end from Haberern increased the lead to four, and lastly a Pirone steal and two made free throws put Elizabethtown away for good.  

Ressler led the team in scoring with 24 points, while Lavitt, Haberern, and Pirone bounced back from rough first halves to finish in double digits. Lavitt finished with 14 points and six rebounds, Haberern with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds and three steals, and Pirone scored 14 points, including 7-8 from the free throw line.  

Susquehanna improves to 13-6 for the season and 10-2 in Land Conference play and look to finish January strong Wednesday night against the Goucher College Gophers on Jan. 31. The game will tip off at 7 p.m.