SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — Both the Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball teams take positive records to the semester break, where they will get some time to rest and hopefully mend some injuries.
The women hit the semester break at 6-2 overall, 2-1 and tied for second in the MAC Commonwealth Conference — much better than last season when they were 4-3, 2-1 at the semester break. The Crusader women were ranked fourth among other teams receiving votes in last week’s Division III top 25 by D3hoops.com.
Their record is somewhat deceiving though since they won their first five games with three-time MAC Commonwealth All-Star and senior center and tri-captain Karyn Kern (26.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg) (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley H.S.) in the lineup. Kern went down with a season, and potentially career, ending injury to her right knee in the fifth game, and the squad has won just one of its first three games without her. Fortunately, that one win was a gutty 78-68 MAC Commonwealth Conference decision at Moravian last Wednesday as the team rallied from being as many as five points down in the second half.
In addition to Kern, it has played the last five games without 6-0 junior and starting power forward Mandy Horner (8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) (Spring Mills/Penns Valley H.S.), who has been sidelined four to six weeks with cartilage damage to her left foot. Thirteenth-year head coach Mark Hribar is the winningest basketball coach in Susquehanna history — now at 205-106 (.659) — and was in need of some good news for the new year. The year 2000 already looks like it might be brighter for both Hribar and his team as Horner is expected to be back for the team’s next game — a 6 p.m. contest against Division II Wheeling Jesuit (3-1) on Friday, January 7, in the opening night of the Gettysburg College Days Inn Tournament. The Crusaders are the defending champions of that tournament, beating host Gettysburg, 49-45, in the title game last season.
The men appear much improved under 11th-year head coach Frank Marcinek, scoring a 71-52 rout at Moravian last Wednesday to enter the break at 5-3 overall, 2-1 and in fourth in the MAC Commonwealth Conference. That’s marked improvement from last season, when they started just 1-5, 1-2 in the conference at this point.
Improved rebounding and defense have been the keys as the Crusaders are outrebounding their opponents by a whopping 12.5 per game (41.9 to 29.4), while holding them to a 63.9-point average on just 41.7 percent shooting from the field. During last season’s 9-14 campaign, the Crusaders were outrebounded by an average margin of 6.7 per game while giving up 79.5 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the field.
Marcinek’s team is now off until Thursday, January 6, when it hosts Franklin & Marshall (7-1) — the fifth-ranked team in Division III according to last week’s top 25 by D3hoops.com — in a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Time to Rest and Mend
Women 6-2, Men 5-3 as They Close First Semester, Break for Holidays
Men Off Until F&M Jan. 6, Women Back Jan. 7 in Gettysburg Tourney
THE MEN’S REPORT
Senior guard and co-captain Rob Makarewicz (Sugarloaf/Hazleton Area H.S.) equaled a career high by connecting on five three-pointers while scoring a season high 22 points in Susquehanna’s win last Wednesday at Moravian. Makarewicz was 5 of 8 from beyond the three-point arc, and 8 of 12 from the field, also making three steals in the game. The team scoring leader (15.5 ppg) while starting at the point guard position but seeing time at both guard spots, Makarewicz is now shooting 42.6 percent from three point range (20 of 47). He appears to like shooting better away from home best as he is averaging 20 points on 13 of 21 (61.9%) shooting from three-point range, as opposed to a 12.8-point average on just 7 of 26 shooting (26.9%) from beyond the arc at home. Second on the team in free throw percentage at 88.9 percent (24 of 27), Makarewicz is also tied for second on the squad in steals with 11 (1.4 per game).
Juniors John Green (Reading/Governor Mifflin H.S.) and Mike Witcoskie (Annville/Palmyra H.S.) have definitely been providing sparks off the bench.
The team’s quickest guard, and probably one of the quickest in the conference, Green (8.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) scored in double figures for a fourth-straight game Wednesday as he posted 11 points at Moravian. He also had four rebounds, four steals and three assists in that game, allowing him to take over the team assist lead (2.5 per game) while tying for second in steals (1.4 per game).
Witcoskie is the team leader in three-pointers, shooting a scintillating 48.8 percent (21 of 43) as he is second on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg). He had eight points in the Moravian win, canning 2 of 3 treys while going 3 for 4 from the field. Witcoskie is doing all his scoring while playing just a little over 20 minutes per game (20.5).
Six-foot-four sophomore small forward Corey Green (8.6 ppg) (Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) had a solid nine-point, seven-rebound performance in the Moravian win. He remains second on the team in rebounding (8.3 per game) and fourth in scoring, also ranking second in assists (2.0 per game).
Senior co-captain and starting two-guard Garrett Thompson (6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg) (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin East H.S.) and junior power forward Brad Rausch (9.3 ppg) (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.) have been stalwarts on defense — with Thompson normally drawing the opponent’s top offensive player, and Rausch leading the team in charges taken. Rausch also continues to top the team in boards (8.5 per game), although his scoring average has dipped back under 10.0 point for the first time since the first game.
Six-foot-eight freshman Zigmas Kaknevicius (4.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) (Lithuania/Long Island Lutheran H.S.) continues to improve with experience and leads the team in field goal percentage at 60.0 percent (15 of 25).
Six-foot-three senior Adam Ressler (2.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg) (Robesonia/Conrad Weiser H.S.) is also finding an emerging role off the bench, particularly in the team’s full-court press. A former national qualifier in the high jump in the spring, Ressler has played in each of the team’s last four games — including a season high 18 minutes at Moravian.
THE WOMEN’S REPORT
Six-foot-one junior center and tri-captain Leslie Clementoni (Hughesville/Hughesville H.S.) has tried to pick up the slack for both Kern and Horner inside. The only six-footer and true low post player who has been seeing regular time since Kern’s injury, Clementoni scored a career high 21 points and grabbed nine boards in last Wednesday’s win at Moravian. She followed that with her second double-double in the three games since starting for the injured Kern, scoring 12 points and grabbing a game high 11 rebounds Saturday at Allentown. Clementoni is now the team leader among the active players in both rebounding (7.5 per game) and field goal percentage (42.3%, 33 of 78), ranking second in scoring (10.5 ppg).
The injuries to his big people have forced Hribar to get creative with his lineup, as he has been rotating a pair of 5-7 guards at power forward. Junior Jen Antolick (3.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia H.S.) has started the last two games at the four spot — scoring a season high 10 points with four boards in the Moravian win, while grabbing a career high eight rebounds in Saturday’s loss. Freshman Alison Ream (3.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg) (Mifflintown/Juniata H.S.) spelled Antolick in both of those games and posted her first collegiate double-double with 12 points and a team high 10 boards at Moravian, scoring six points on 3 for 3 shooting Saturday. She was 6 for 8 from the field (75.0%), including 2 for 3 from three-point range, and made all four of her free throws last week.
Five-foot-10 sophomore small forward Amy Harrington (Danville/Danville H.S.) is the scoring leader now among the active players (13.1 ppg), and converted a big four-point play with her team up just three with 1:04 to play at Moravian. Harrington had her streak of five-straight games in double figures snapped Saturday as she was held to just eight.
Senior tri-captain Lisa Stack (7.8 ppg, 2.0 apg) and junior Susan Trella (5.8 ppg, 5.4 apg) (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) are the starting guards at two and one respectively.
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