SELINSGROVE, PA - The Susquehanna men's basketball team came up just short in defending their home court Friday night, missing a game-tying 3-pointer in the final moments to Delaware Valley in a 65-62 win for the visitors.
 
Junior forward Brandon Lavitt's timely scoring in the final minutes gave the River Hawks a chance to tie the game, but the three-point shot from Michael Pirone at the buzzer fell just short. Lavitt played a big role for Susquehanna offensively, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds alongside junior center Audric Washington, who paced the offense with 11 points and six rebounds of his own. Despite a slow first half and a five-point deficit entering the second half, the River Hawks surged out of the break. Washington led a 9-2 run that tied the game in the first four minutes of the second half. Jackson Van Wagener and Allen Cieslak then made a string of three-pointers, building a six-point lead for the River Hawks midway through the second half. Van Wagener, the team's leading scorer through seven games, delivered an all-around performance, scoring five points, grabbing two rebounds with two assists and two steals. Cieslak added seven points of his own in just 19 minutes of play.
 
Kamal Johnson and Mike Herrin, who combined for 42 points, then helped the Aggies chip away after the River Hawks mounted a seven-point lead. Despite strong efforts by Lavitt and Washington to keep the game close in the final minutes, the River Hawks saw their lead slip away in the closing seconds. Offensively both sides roughly had the same amount of shots with Susquehanna making 45.1 percent of shots (23-of-51) to Delaware Valley's 43.6 (24-of-55). The Aggies did hold the advantage in the 3-point shooting game that helped them stay in the game late, drilling 9-of-19 threes to the River Hawks' 5-of-16. Susquehanna also had a series of disappointing possessions in the final minute, including an offensive foul that saw DelVal get the ball back while holding a 62-60 lead, then a travel on the River Hawks' ensuing possession. 
 
Despite the defeat, Susquehanna has plenty to learn from in the early part of the season, breaking even at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the Landmark Conference going into winter break. The River Hawks look to take advantage of the two-week downtime as they prepare to travel to Roanoke College later this month when they open against Maryville on Dec. 29.