SELINSGROVE, PA (February 14, 2024) – In a dramatic back-and-forth defensive battle, the Susquehanna men's basketball team saw their hopes of clinching a first round bye in the Landmark postseason take a hit on Wednesday night, as they fell 51-50 against Juniata in their final home game of the regular season. With 11 lead changes and both teams scoring well-below their season averages, late foul trouble for SU down the stretch proved costly and the visiting Eagles hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds before getting a stop as time expired to hold on to their one-point lead.

It was clear from the early moments that both defenses had shown up to play, with it taking nearly two minutes for the first points to be scored and lengthy scoreless stretches for both teams. After multiple lead changes and with both teams shooting less than 36 percent from the floor, the game would tie at 23 each with just over two minutes to go in the first half and remained there all the way to the break.

Shooting for both teams would only improve slightly in the second half, with both still below 40 percent, but the key improvement for the visiting Eagles was at the charity stripe. After making just two free throws in the first half, they would make ten out of 12 attempts in the second, dwarfing SU's single free throw make in the entire contest. That was particularly evident down the stretch, as Juniata slowly erased a 12-point Susquehanna lead, the largest of the game, after back-to-back three point makes from Marcus Mitchell with 10:52 to go. Having reached 44 points at that time, the River Hawks would score just six points for the remainder of the game. Mitchell did his best to spark the offense, leading all scorers with 19 points and three made threes, but with the rest of the team struggling to find their touch and Juniata holding an advantage at the foul line, the lead was slowly reduced to a single point with just 1:35 on the clock. A missed shot and then a pair of costly turnovers following defensive stops for the River Hawks ultimately allowed Juniata to get to the foul line one last time with 15 seconds to go, where Chase Husted would hit both shots and set the score at 51-50. Mitchell would have a chance at a game winner with a pull-up jumper in the paint as time expired, but tough defense would see his shot just barely miss the mark.

Despite the setback, the River Hawks will still have a chance to earn the second seed and accompanying first round bye on Saturday. They'll travel to face Drew University, who they currently sit tied with at 12-5 in the Landmark. SU came out victorious in the matchup between the two teams earlier in the season, beating the Rangers 83-78 at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia. Mitchell was also key in that contest, scoring a career-high 21 points. Susquehanna has also won their last eight contests against Drew, dating back to 2020. That crucial game will tip off at 2 pm in Madison, NJ.

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--RIVER HAWKS--