Men’s basketball falls in OT to Messiah 73-69
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — After honoring four seniors the Lycoming College men’s basketball team wanted to make its final game in the Lamade Gymnasium of the 2008-09 season an interesting and close ball game, falling 73-69 at the end of overtime.
With the loss, Lycoming falls to 11-12 and 4-7 in the Commonwealth conference, eliminating them from the post season. Messiah improved to 9-15 and 6-5 in the conference, securing its spot in the playoffs.
After being down by as many as 16 midway through the second half, the Warriors Rallied to send the game into overtime. A pair of free throw shots by Sebastian Sabella started the comeback, closing the gap 48-34. Lycoming continued to slow work down the lead when Will Kelly hit a mid-range jumper and was fouled. Kelly converted the free throw, getting the Warriors to within eight at 5:10.
Greg Sye was able to tie the score with 30 seconds left in the game, sending the teams into overtime, knotted at 59. The teams traded two-point plays at the start of the overtime period, but the Messiah offense proved to be too much, outscoring the Warriors 14-10 in the overtime period to take home a
73-69 overtime victory.
Sye was the leading scorer in the game, posting 19 points and seven rebounds, while Kelly had 18 points and four rebounds. Jemayne Nowlin scored a team-third best 14 points and picked up eight rebounds. Sebastian Sabella added eight points to the Warrior total and Eric Anthony tossed in six points.The two teams shot well, shooting 44.8 percent from the field, but Messiah’s work from the free throw line was the deceiding factor down the stretch as it shot 75.8 (25-33) percent. The Warriors were outrebounded 37-31. Utilizing play in the paint, Lycoming scored 32 points in the lane, while Messiah only had 24.
The Warriors will be playing in their final game of the 2008-09 season on Saturday, Feb. 21 against Albright College. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
Lady Warriors fall to Messiah 69-36
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — In her final game on the court in Lamade Gymnasium, Andrea Cooper finished as the leading scorer for Lycoming College with 13 points as the Lady Warriors basketball team fell to eighth-ranked Messiah College on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Cooper also had the team-high rebounds with 9.
With the loss, Lycoming slips to 15-8 overall and 4-7 in the Commonwealth Conference. Messiah is now 21-3 and 10-1 in the conference, and secured the top-seed for the Commonwealth tournament.
With her 13 points, Cooper finished her home career with 1,133 points, setting her in the books in sixth all-time at Lycoming. She also had a second game-high total in rebounds with nine.
The Falcon’s offense proved to be too strong for the Lady Warriors, with the Messiah players scoring in double-figures. Silalei Shani paced the game with 19 points, adding 13 rebounds. Angie Rapchinski scored 12 points while Ashley Brooks had 10. Brooks also chipped in eight rebounds.
Rebecca Leid of Lycoming added five rebounds and Jessica Zerbee contributed six points, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. As a team, Lycoming had trouble finding the bottom of the net, shooting 26.8 (15-56) percent from the field.
The Lady Warriors will be back in action this Saturday, Feb. 21 when they head to Albright College for their final game of the 2008-09 season. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
