SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — The Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball both suffered tough MAC Commonwealth Conference home losses to Elizabethtown Saturday to end win streaks. While those setbacks were tough to take, neither team has time to dwell on them since both face a pair of conference games this week — with the women also playing defending Centennial Conference East Division champion Muhlenberg Monday.
The Crusader men had been playing some of their best basketball in years before the Elizabethtown loss, winning five-straight over the likes of such quality teams as Franklin & Marshall (91-75), King’s (94-84) and Lebanon Valley (74-69) before Saturday’s setback. What made Saturday’s loss so tough was that the team rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to be in position to tie at the end, but missed six shots in the closing seconds.
The loss left the Crusaders at 9-4 overall, 3-2 and in fourth-place in the MAC Commonwealth Conference for 11th-year head coach Frank Marcinek (155-112, .583) — the program’s most successful coach. The team has already tied its win total for last season (9-14) and can better it with a win in its MAC Commonwealth Conference games this week at Juniata (1-12, 0-5 MAC CC) Wednesday at 8 p.m., or home with conference leader Albright (10-2, 5-0 MAC CC) Saturday at 3 p.m. for Youth Basketball Day. Juniata is under the direction of fourth-year head coach and former seven-year Susquehanna assistant coach Rick Ferry (15-70, .176), who got his first win in six tries against Susquehanna in last season’s finale at Juniata (78-76). Under fifth-year head coach Ken Tyler (61-50, .540), Albright has won its last five games vs. Susquehanna and is 6-2 vs. the Crusaders since Tyler became coach.
The Susquehanna women’s basketball team led six-time defending MAC Commonwealth champion Elizabethtown for all but the final 2:30 of Saturday’s 79-69 loss. The Crusaders squandered an 18-point first half lead, and a nine-point bulge with five minutes to go, as they saw their two-game win streak end while falling to 8-4 overall, 3-2 and tied for third in the conference. Prior to Saturday’s loss, they scored an impressive 67-56 win at Lebanon Valley Wednesday for 13th-year head coach Mark Hribar — the winningest basketball coach in school history, now at 207-108 (.657). Hribar has guided the team to a 3-4 record since losing star senior center and tri-captain Karyn Kern (26.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg) (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley H.S.) with a season-ending knee injury November 30.
In addition to Monday’s non-conference game with Muhlenberg (7-5), the Crusader women will face a pivotal MAC Commonwealth Conference game Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Juniata (8-4, 3-2 MAC CC), hosting Albright (6-8, 1-4 MAC CC) Saturday at 1 p.m. for Youth Basketball Day. Second-year head coach Amy Buxbaum (16-20, .444) has already led Juniata to as many wins as it had in her debut season, and will try and end the program’s current 14-game losing streak to Susquehanna. Third-year head coach Anne Bonner (17-44, .279) has a similar task with Albright, which has lost five-straight games to the Crusaders, and 12-straight at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
The Crusader basketball teams will offer free admission to all youth basketball players, high school-aged and younger, along with their coaches and parents for Saturday’s big Albright Youth Basketball Day doubleheader. They hope to also have some area youth basketball teams scrimmage at halftime.
THE MEN’S REPORT
Senior guard and co-captain Rob Makarewicz (Sugarloaf/Hazleton Area H.S.) continues to lead the team, averaging 17.5 points and 5.0 rebounds last week despite struggling from the field (38.7%/12 of 31). The team’s WQSU-FM Crusader Player of the Week for a second-straight week, Makarewicz continues to lead the team in both foul shooting (85.7%, 48 of 56) and scoring (16.6 ppg), also topping the MAC Commonwealth Conference in free throw percentage. None of his free throws were any bigger than the four he converted in the final :22.5 to seal last Wednesday’s big win at Lebanon Valley. He is the team’s second-leading three-point shooter (24 of 66/36.4%/1.9 per game) and has now scored in double figures in 12-straight games, only failing to hit double digits in the opener this season.
Fellow senior co-captain and starting two-guard Garrett Thompson (7.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg) (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin East H.S.) continues to play good solid defense on the opponent’s top scoring guard. Susquehanna forced 19 turnovers and outrebounded Elizabethtown Saturday, 49-39, largely with Thompson’s help. He also scored 10 points.
Junior power forward Brad Rausch (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.) played a large role in last Wednesday’s Lebanon Valley win, posting 13 points, six rebounds and a career high six steals. He continues to lead the team in rebounding (8.2 per game), tying for second in the Commonwealth Conference, and is second on the team in field goal percentage (52.1%, 50 of 96), tied for second in steals (1.4 per game), and third in scoring (9.9 ppg). While stats aren’t kept on charges taken, he would lead the team in that category.
Sophomore small forward Corey Green (Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) hit double figures for a third-straight game, and fourth time in five contests, with 11 points Saturday. Like Makarewicz, he struggled from the field in that game, but he also had eight rebounds. After not hitting a three-pointer in the first 30 collegiate games, Green has now gone 9 of 19 (47.4%) in the last three contests. He remains second in rebounds (7.2 per game).
Off the bench, senior forward Adam Ressler (1.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg) (Robesonia/Conrad Weiser H.S.), junior guard John Green (8.6 ppg) (Reading/Governor Mifflin H.S.) and 6-6 sophomore center Stephan Schrankel (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel H.S.) all provided sparks last week.
A former national qualifier in the high jump, Ressler electrified the Crusader crowd Saturday with a slam dunk of a steal which pulled his team within two at 54-52 with 2:48 to play. He had three points, four rebounds and a pair of steals in just 12 minutes in that game.
Green (8.6 ppg) had six points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists in Saturday’s loss, scoring six points and adding five assists at Lebanon Valley. He continues to lead the team in assists (2.8 per game).
Nobody made a bigger play at Lebanon Valley than Schrankel (3.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg), who tapped out a miss with :25 seconds left to Makarewicz, who was then fouled and sank the game-clinching free throws. Schrankel had nine points and six rebounds in that big win.
THE WOMEN’S REPORT
All junior tri-captain and 6-1 center Leslie Clementoni (Hughesville/Hughesville H.S.) has done since replacing Kern is score in double figures in all seven games, with three double-doubles. She’s now hit double digits in 10-straight games. Clementoni equaled her career high with 21 points in Saturday’s loss, also grabbing a team high 10 rebounds. She earned the team’s WQSU-FM Crusader Player of the Week as she averaged 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals in the team’s two games last week. She now leads the team in rebounding (7.7 per game), ranking second in scoring (14.1 ppg).
Sophomore small forward Amy Harrington (Danville/Danville H.S.) remains the team scoring leader (14.1 ppg), ranking third in the MAC Commonwealth Conference. She had 17 Saturday vs. Elizabethtown. She also tops the starters in free throw percentage (78.2%, 43 of 55) and three-pointers (16 of 59, 27.1%), ranking fourth in conference free throw accuracy.
Six-foot junior power forward Mandy Horner (8.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) (Spring Mills/Penns Valley Area H.S.) continues to get stronger with each game. Horner, who missed five games with cartilage damage in her foot first semester, averaged 10.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in last week’s two games, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight boards at Lebanon Valley.
Junior point guard Susan Trella (4.4 ppg) (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) continues to be the team’s “unsung hero” as she plays tenacious defense and is second in the conference in assists (5.3 per game).
Freshman swingplayer Alison Ream (4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) (Mifflintown/Juniata H.S.) is also gradually seeing an increased role. Ream scored a career high 14 in the Leb Valley win, going 3 for 3 from three-point range, and hit the trey with 4:58 left to put her team up nine Saturday. She averaged 9.0 points and went 4 for 8 from beyond the three-point arc last week.
