SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Even with two games left in the 2000-2001 basketball season, both the Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball teams have their postseason plans firmly in focus.
While the women’s squad is assured of a Commonwealth Conference semifinal matchup with Elizabethtown College on February 21, the men’s team will sit out the playoffs for a third consecutive season after dropping six straight league games to tumble into last place in the eight-team conference.
Both teams will hit the hardwood twice in the regular season’s final week, as the Crusaders will head to Huntingdon to battle Juniata on Wednesday night in a doubleheader and host Albright in a Saturday twinbill for Senior Day.
The Crusader women enter the final week on the heels of an impressive 57-45 victory over Elizabethtown on Saturday afternoon — a win that sets up a semifinal rematch with the Blue Jays on February 21. Though the teams are even in the standings with identical 9-3 league records, the Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker over the Crusaders due a better record in non-league common games — which would result in a playoff at Elizabethtown should the teams finish the season tied for second place at 11-3.
Meanwhile, the men’s team will attempt to emerge from the cellar and spoil the postseason hopes of Albright, which enters the last week with a one-game lead over Messiah for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Commonwealth Conference.
THE MEN’S REPORT
The Crusaders lost their third Commonwealth Conference road game by three points or less with a 78-75 defeat at Lebanon Valley on Wednesday night. Susquehanna rallied from a late 14-point deficit to take a one-point lead in the final minute, but the Dutchmen survived five straight missed free throws in the final 30 seconds by grabbing three offensive rebounds to prevent the Crusaders from setting up a final possession.
On Saturday, the Crusaders tumbled 87-71 to visiting Elizabethtown despite trailing by just one point at halftime. The Crusaders shot just 35.1 percent from the field in losing for the seventh time in the last eight games.
The Starters
SG Mike Witcoskie (Senior, Annville, Pa./Palmyra H.S.) — Witcoskie moved into third place on the Susquehanna single-season three-point list at 59 after connecting on three three-pointers against Elizabethtown. Over the last four games, Witcoskie has nailed 16 threes and is averaging 18.0 points per game during that stretch.
PG Nick Griffiths (Freshman, Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.) — Even though Griffiths has struggled from the field over the last three games (6-for-22), Griffiths has maintained an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.71 to 1 (19 assists, 7 turnovers) over the last four games. He has hit at least one three-pointer in 18 of 22 games this season.
PF Brad Rausch (Senior, Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.) — Rausch scored in double figures for the third time in four games with 15 points and eight boards against Elizabethtown. He led the team in rebounds for the eighth time this season with his eight rebounds against Elizabethtown, and over the last four games Rausch averages 7.8 boards.
SF Corey Green (Junior, Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) — Green attempted a team season-high 25 shots against Elizabethtown en route to a game-high 23 points. He connected on four three-pointers to extend his streak of consecutive games with a three to nine straight. He has also hit 12 of his last 14 attempts from the line over the last four games..
C Zigmas Kaknevicius (Sophomore, Bethpage, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran H.S.) —Over the last four games, Kaknevicius has connected on seven of his last 12 field-goal attempts, but he has averaged just 17.5 minutes per game over that span. He still leads the squad in field-goal percentage at 53.6 percent and free-throw percentage at 81.0 percent.
Off the Bench
Sophomore guard Tim Hurd (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills H.S.) is becoming a crowd favorite as rapidly as he as stepped forward as the Crusaders’ sixth man. He punctuated a career-high 16-point effort at Lebanon Valley with a pair of dunks, and added six points and six boards against Elizabethtown. Over the last seven games, Hurd has averaged 11.0 points and 24.0 minutes per game. Freshman guard Lafayette Melton (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.) connected on a three-pointer and added three rebounds in 13 minutes against Elizabethtown, and is fourth on the team with nine three-pointers this season.
THE WOMEN’S REPORT
The Crusaders set season highs in both of their victories last week, scoring 85 points against Lebanon Valley in an 85-74 road win on Tuesday night, and shooting 51.2 percent in Saturday’s 57-45 win over Elizabethtown.
Susquehanna shot 78.8 percent from the line (26-for-33) against Lebanon Valley, including eight straight conversions in the final minute, while the Crusaders limited Elizabethtown to just 30 percent shooting for the game in knocking off the Blue Jays for the first time in eight meetings dating to the 1996-97 season.
The Starters
SG Alison Ream (Sophomore, Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) — Even though Ream ranks just fourth on the team in steals with 27, she has recorded at least one theft in nine consecutive games — including three against Elizabethtown. She raised her free-throw percentage past 80 percent (80.9) with a pair of conversions against Elizabethtown, but she has connected on just three of her last 33 shots from three-point range (9.1 percent).
PG Susan Trella (Senior, Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) — After scoring a career-high 16 points one week earlier at Moravian, Trella tallied 14 points and dished out six assists at Lebanon Valley. She scored just three points against Elizabethtown, but sealed the win with a layup in the final two minutes to give the Crusaders a double-digit lead. Trella has already hit more three-pointers (13) this season than in her first three seasons combined (11).
PF Leslie Clementoni (Senior, Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) — Healthy for the first time in six weeks, Clementoni scored 22 of her 25 points in the second half to spark the Crusaders to victory at Lebanon Valley, and led the team with 14 points and nine rebounds against Elizabethtown. After leading the team in scoring 12 times last year, Clementoni has paced the Crusaders offensively four times this season.
SF Amy Harrington (Junior, Danville, Pa./Danville H.S.) — Harrington went without a three-pointer for just the second time this season at Lebanon Valley, but connected on a first-half triple against Elizabethtown to equal her own team single-season record of 38 set last season. Harrington has played in 73 straight games without missing one in her career.
C Karyn Kern (Senior, Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley H.S.) — Kern notched her 12th double-double of the season with 23 points and 16 rebounds at Lebanon Valley, and scored all 12 of her points in the second half to spark the win over Elizabethtown. Kern has led or tied for the team lead in scoring 16 times this season and has shot 50 percent or better from the field in nine straight games and 16 of 22 this year.
Off the Bench
Sophomore forward Kait Gillis (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity H.S.) played just 20 seconds at Lebanon Valley before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Despite not practicing the rest of the week, Gillis was back in action against Elizabethtown and contributed four points and two rebounds in eight minutes. Sophomore forward Emily Kurtz (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys H.S.) posted nine points and three assists at Lebanon Valley and tallied seven points in 17 minutes vs. Elizabethtown. Freshman center Courtney Sokol (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth H.S.) played 11 minutes at Lebanon Valley and notched seven points.
