SELINSGROVE, Pa. — With the Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball teams having crossed the midpoint of the 2000-2001 season, both teams head toward the halfway point of Commonwealth Conference play looking to establish themselves as contenders for one of four playoff berths in the conference.
While the women’s squad is 3-2 in the league and in sole possession of third place in the Commonwealth Conference — losing only to first-place Messiah and second-place Elizabethtown, the men’s team will look to climb out of seventh place and improve on a 1-4 league record.
After the women face off with Muhlenberg in a non-conference game on Monday, the teams will take part in doubleheaders on Wednesday (vs. Juniata) and on Saturday night (at Albright). Last season, both the men’s and women’s teams went 4-3 in the first half of Commonwealth Conference play.
Revenge will be on the minds of the Crusader women as the Eagles and Lions both posted last-second victories against Susquehanna to deny the Crusaders an 11th-straight Middle Atlantic Conference playoff berth last February. Meanwhile, the men’s squad has defeated Juniata seven straight times at Houts Gymnasium.
THE MEN’S REPORT
The Crusaders fell to 1-4 in the Commonwealth Conference and 7-6 overall with losses to Lebanon Valley and Elizabethtown last week. Susquehanna fell 78-62 to Lebanon Valley on Wednesday night for their first loss in five games at Houts Gymnasium this season, and dropped an 84-81 decision at Elizabethtown on Saturday as the Blue Jays connected on 11 three-pointers in 23 attempts.
The Starters
SG Mike Witcoskie (Senior, Annville, Pa./Palmyra H.S.) — After scoring 10 points in 23 minutes of action against Lebanon Valley, Witcoskie poured home a game-high 21 points against Elizabethtown to raise his scoring average to 14.0 points per game. Witcoskie leads the team with 38 three-pointers and has hit at least one in 12 consecutive games. Included among his three-pointers at Elizabethtown was the 100th of his career.
PG Nick Griffiths (Freshman, Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.) — Griffiths has hit his last eight free-throw attempts and 13 of his last 14 tries over the last six games to raise his free-throw percentage from 57.1 percent to 75.0 percent. Griffiths has connected on 25 three-pointers in 58 attempts (43.1 percent) and has made at least one in each of the Crusaders’ last 12 games.
PF Brad Rausch (Senior, Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.) — Rausch has shot 50 percent or better from the field in eight of Susquehanna’s 13 games this season, including 6-for-10 en route to 15 points at Elizabethtown.. Despite being plagued with chronic back trouble, Rausch has played 30 or more minutes in three of the last four games and is third on the team in minutes per game (29.6).
SF Corey Green (Junior, Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) — Despite failing to reach double figures for just the second time this season at Elizabethtown (eight points), Green led all players with 10 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. Green, who is third on the team in three-pointers with 18 in 51 attempts, has gone two games without a “three” and did not attempt any shots from behind the arc at Elizabethtown.
C Zigmas Kaknevicius (Sophomore, Bethpage, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran H.S.) — Kaknevicius tied his career high with 14 points at Elizabethtown on the strength of 7-for-9 shooting from the field — the sixth time in 13 games that he has shot at least 60 percent from the field. Kaknevicius added a season-high three assists at Elizabethtown, and though he did not shoot any free throws in the game he still leads the team in percentage at 83.3 percent (25-for-30). Kaknevicius also leads the squad in field goal percentage (.542).
Off the Bench
Freshman guard Lafayette Melton (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.) drilled a pair of three-pointers in the final minute against Lebanon Valley en route to an eight-point, three-rebound performance against the Dutchmen. Six of his 11 field goals this season have come from behind the three-point arc. Sophomore guard Tim Hurd (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills H.S.) played a career-high 23 minutes at Elizabethtown and scored six points with three rebounds, including a two-handed dunk on a fast break in the second half. Hurd leads all bench players in minutes per game (13.8) and points per game (4.2). Freshman guard Dan Rathmell (Windsor, N.Y./Windsor H.S.) saw action in both games last week and hit his first career three-pointer against Lebanon Valley.
THE WOMEN’S REPORT
After one of the team’s most impressive wins of the season in a 69-61 victory over Lebanon Valley on Tuesday, the Crusaders were plagued by 32 turnovers and 39 percent shooting at Elizabethtown as the Blue Jays posted a 57-43 win on Saturday afternoon. Susquehanna has alternated wins and losses over the last six games.
The Starters
SG Alison Ream (Sophomore, Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) — Ream was held off the scoreboard for the first time this season as she missed both of her field-goal attempts at Elizabethtown. Despite scoring just two points against Lebanon Valley, she dished off four assists in 18 minutes of action. Ream leads the team in free-throw percentage at 79.2 percent (19-for-24) and owns the squad’s best assist-turnover ratio (38 assists, 31 turnovers).
PG Susan Trella (Senior, Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) — Trella dished out six assists for the third straight game against Lebanon Valley in just 21 minutes of action, though she went scoreless in two field-goal attempts. Trella’s 3.8 assists per game are good for second in the Commonwealth Conference. With her start at Elizabethtown, she played in her 88th straight game (her entire career) with 77 consecutive starts.
PF Leslie Clementoni (Senior, Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) — Clementoni returned to the lineup on Tuesday night against Lebanon Valley and scored 10 points with six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. She was back in the starting lineup at Elizabethtown on Saturday and tallied eight points and six rebounds in 28 minutes.
SF Amy Harrington (Junior, Danville, Pa./Danville H.S.) — Harrington became Susquehanna’s career three-point shooting leader when she drained her 59th in the second half against Lebanon Valley, breaking the previous mark of 58 set from 1996 to 2000 by Lisa Stack. Harrington has drained at least one “three” in 12 of the Crusaders’ 13 games while her 20 three-pointers for the season are tied for the fourth-most in school history.
C Karyn Kern (Senior, Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley H.S.) — Kern climbed into third place on the Susquehanna career scoring list after tying her season high with 25 points and pulling a season-best 19 rebounds against Lebanon Valley for her 50th career double-double. Kern has scored 1,569 points and grabbed 944 rebounds in her Crusader career, and she needs just 53 rebounds to become the all-time leader in boards.
Off the Bench
Sophomore guard Emily Kurtz (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys H.S.) continues to lead all reserves in scoring at 3.6 points per game. She hit her fourth three-pointer of the season at Elizabethtown. Freshman guard Ashley Donmoyer (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove H.S.) hit a pair of “threes” at Elizabethtown and is tied for second on the team with 10 three-pointers in 28 attempts (35.7 percent). Sophomore forward Kait Gillis (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity H.S.) made all four of her field-goal attempts and set career highs with eight points and six rebounds against Lebanon Valley and chipped in with four points and three boards at Elizabethtown.
