Lancaster Bible 87, SUNY Morrisville 85

SUNY Morrisville Starters
Litchfield, Smith, Brennan, Kowaleski & Green
 
LBC Starters
Seth Beers, Tyler Hilton, Grant Sareyka, Jordan Shewbridge & Adam Stoltzfus
 
How It Happened
The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team used a second half surge to rally back and defeat SUNY Morrisville 87-85 on Friday, January 28.
 
The Chargers (11-6 Overall, 7-1 United East) got off to a slow start, falling behind 10-2 in the opening three minutes of the game. Tyler Hilton jump started LBC's offense by knocking down a 3-pointer. After Jordan Shewbridge finished a layup, Seth Beers drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game at 10. SUNY Morrisville (5-11 Overall, 2-6 United East) answered back going on a 4-0 run to reclaim the lead. Grant Sareyka halted the run, swishing a 3-pointer to bring the Chargers back within a point. Later in the half, LBC went on a 7-0 run, capped off with another Sareyka 3-pointer giving the Chargers a four-point advantage. Sareyka hit three first half 3-pointers to power the Chargers' offense. After SUNY Morrisville tied the game at 25 points, the Mustangs went on an 8-2 run to take a 33-27 lead. Adam Stoltzfus hit a couple of free throws and a layup to keep the Chargers within striking distance, but the Mustangs used a 7-2 run to take a 12-point lead. Tyler Hilton gave the Chargers some momentum heading into the half, knocking down a 3-pointer to bring the team back within nine points heading into the break.
 
Hilton started the Chargers attack in the second half, knocking down another 3-pointer. Ethan Beachy finished back-to-back layups, pulling the team back within six points. After a Beachy free throw, Beers stormed to the basket for a layup bringing the Chargers within three points. Sareyka then tied the game at 56 by connecting on his fourth 3-pointer of the game. Maureon Tisdale-Couch gave the Chargers their first lead of the second half, scoring a layup in the paint. Sareyka extended the lead to five, again connecting from beyond the arc. Beers followed with a 3-pointer for his own, quickly giving LBC an 8-point advantage. Tisdale-Couch added another layup, closing out the 13-0 run that put the Chargers ahead by 10 points. SUNY Morrisville battled back, eventually closing within five points, but Sareyka and Shewbridge finished back-to-back layups to maintain the advantage. After the Mustangs made the score 78-75, Hilton hit a floater in the lane to put LBC up by five. The Mustangs made one more push in the final minute, closing within two points with only :12 seconds remaining in the game. The Chargers fended off the rally, securing the 87-85 victory.  
 
Inside the Numbers
- Grant Sareyka matched his career high, scoring 25 points going 5-8 from beyond the arc
- Tyler Hilton netted 18 points, going 3-4 from 3-point range
- Seth Beers scored 13 points, also connecting three key 3-pointers
- Adam Stoltzfus added 11 points, and he pulled in four rebounds
- SUNY Morrisville was led by Tron Smith, who scored 19 points
- The Mustangs won the battle on the glass, holding a 29-24 advantage in rebounds
- The Chargers' offense shot 55% from beyond the arc, connecting on 11 3-pointers
 
Coaching Points
"I thought Morrisville out played and controlled us on both ends of in the first half," said head coach Jon Mack. "They were relentless at attacking us causing forcing us into serious foul trouble the entire game.  But in the second half, our guys responded in a big way on the defensive end. I thought our defensive pressure early in the second half changed the script of the game. Our 13-0 run was what we needed to take control of the game. I am proud that we were resilient and found a way to win on the road, but also appreciative of the lessons taught to us today that we need to apply moving forward. We must be better tomorrow as we face a tough Wells team."
 
Who's Next
The men's basketball team will continue their New York Trip, facing Wells College on Saturday, January 29 with the tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
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