BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men's basketball team overcame a 12-point halftime deficit with a 12-0 run to start the second half, but Susquehanna University held on for a 68-63 Landmark Conference victory on Saturday in Johnston Hall.
Junior point guard Izel Dickerson paced three Moravian double-digit scorers with 14 points to go with two assists and four steals. Senior center Blake English netted 13 points and six boards, while senior guard Kenny Gula tossed in 11 points.
Moravian (8-9, 3-4 Landmark) pulled in 18 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points, but Susquehanna's timely shots and stops helped the Crusaders improve to 3-3 in conference play.
"It was extremely difficult to recover from a slow first half," said head coach Jim Walker. "Our zone defense struggled and they were able to knock down their shots."
The long ball was working effectively for both sides early in the first half with both sides hitting two treys as the Crusaders held an 8-6 lead to open the game.
The Greyhounds missed seven of their next eight field goals as Susquehanna took a double-digit lead at 20-10. Bosch broke the cold spell with a reverse layup to cut the lead to 21-12 one minute later.
English briefly cut the lead to single digits with 7:45 remaining after a three-point play, but the Crusaders responded with their fourth trey of the half for the 27-16 advantage.
Moravian traded baskets with Susquehanna for the remainder of the half, led by seven points from Gula, as the Crusaders took a 45-33 lead into the break.
Susquehanna's first-half lead was aided by 66.7 percent shooting from the floor and a 19-13 edge in rebounding.
The Hounds bit back to start the second half, going on a 12-0 run to tie the game for the first time since 0-0, led by three-pointers by English and Dickerson. Susquehanna stopped the run with its first field goal of the second half with 15:20 left in the game.
"We executed our man-to-man offense very well after halftime," Walker said. "We were also aggressive on the fast break, which helped us get back into the game."
Gula's second trey of the game gave the Greyhounds their first lead since 6-2 early in the contest. But the Crusaders charged ahead again with an 8-0 run of their own to take a 55-48 lead midway through the final 20 minutes.
Another stint of trading buckets ensued, with senior center Cameron Cullen picking up his first two field goals of the game as the Crusaders clung to a 60-55 lead. Cullen vigorously shook off an 0-for-6 start to score six straight points and come up with a big assist.
After an offensive rebound, Cullen dished it under the basket to English, who put the layup in to slash the lead to 60-59.
Cullen finished a point shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The senior big man also recorded a season-high three blocked shots in the setback.
Brandon Hedley of Susquehanna gave his side a cushion with a three-pointer for the 64-59 lead and only 1:45 remaining, forcing Walker to call a timeout.
The Greyhounds came out gunning as Cullen got another second-chance put back. Moravian came up with two more offensive rebounds with the score set at 64-61 in Susquehanna's favor with under a minute remaining, but Gula missed a game-tying three-point attempt that rimmed out. The Crusaders knocked down both ends of a one-and-one to stretch the lead to 66-61.
Susquehanna cooled off from the field in the second half, shooting only 23 percent. However, maintaining the lead in the overall rebounding battle and a solid .727 (16-of-22) mark from the free throw line helped the Crusaders hold on for the victory on the road.
Hedley, the Crusader's leading scorer, was held to nine points on 3-of-13 shooting. Steven Weidlich knocked down three treys for 17 points, while Harley Sellinger and Jake Eskin each scored 12 points for Susquehanna.
Moravian returns to the home hardwood on Wednesday, Jan. 29 with a Landmark Conference tilt against The University of Scranton scheduled for 7 p.m. in Johnston Hall.
