SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna senior
Brandon Lavitt notched his 1,000th career point at home against Scranton on Saturday afternoon, becoming the 39th River Hawk to join the exclusive 1,000-point club. The River Hawks fell short to the Royals in what proved to be a hard-fought Landmark Conference battle, falling 75-65.
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HOW IT WENT DOWN
- Jackson Van Wagener opened the scoring for the River Hawks, draining an early three-pointer-- Susquehanna's only three of the game. Saturday marked the senior guard's fourth consecutive game in double figures, as he finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
- Two more points from Van Wagener and a transition layup from AJ Lomax gave the River Hawks a 9-2 lead through the game's first three minutes.
- Needing just two more points to reach 1,000 entering Saturday, Lavitt reached his career milestone at the 9:00 mark, converting an and-one play to give Susquehanna a 20-17 lead. He finished the game with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
- Despite the early momentum, Scranton captured the lead at the 5:51 mark of the first half and carried it into halftime. Jon Spatola led the Royals over the final 5:51 of the opening period, scoring eight of Scranton's 13 points during that stretch as the Royals took a 34-29 advantage into the break.
- The River Hawks made multiple runs after halftime, cutting what was, at one point, a double-digit Scranton lead all the way down to one point with 11:05 remaining in the second half. They were unable to regain the lead, though-- one that they had lost late in the first half, as Scranton outscored them 41-36 in the second.
- Lavitt and senior Emezie Egeonu each scored eight points in the second half to lead Susquehanna's scoring, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback.Â
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Four River Hawks reached double figures in scoring: Lavitt (16), Audric Washington (14), Van Wagener (11), and Egeonu (10).
- Washington came close to a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds.
- Six River Hawks recorded at least one steal: KJ Carson, Van Wagener, Lomax, Washington, Alex Katusha, and Seamus Rogers.
- Scranton shot 47.9 percent (23-of-48)Â from the field compared to Susquehanna's 30.6 percent (19-of-62), hit 45 percent (9-of-20)Â from three-point range to the River Hawks' five (1-of-20), and made 20-of-26 free throws as the River Hawks fared 26-of-37.
- Van Wagener popped a three on Susquehanna's first attempt from long range, but the team missed its next 19 three attempts. Â
- The River Hawks dominated the glass, out-rebounding Scranton 50-27.
UP NEXT FOR THE RIVER HAWKS
- Susquehanna will travel to the Nation's Capital on Wednesday for a Landmark Conference match up against Catholic University. The River Hawks will look to hand the Cardinals their first conference loss of the season.Â
