SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- For the first time since the 1994-95 season, the Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball teams have started the season with identical 2-0 records after the squads posted a clean sweep of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip Off Tournaments over the weekend. The men defeated Goucher 61-50 and knocked off Scranton 89-80 for its first Tip Off Tournament title since 1994-95 while the women slipped by Gallaudet 72-67 and pounded Alvernia 83-54 to win the championship for the sixth time in the last seven years.
Rebounding has clearly been the key to the success of both squads, as the men have outboarded the opposition by an average of 13 per game and the women hold a +16 edge over their opponents.
While the men of 12th-year head coach Frank Marcinek have relied on a balanced attack — four players are averaging in double figures — Mark Hribar’s women’s squad has looked to the inside-outside combo of senior center Karyn Kern and junior forward Amy Harrington for the bulk of the early-season offense.
Both teams take to the court one more time before heading off to Thanksgiving break, as the men head to York to square off with the host Spartans on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. and the women travel to Ursinus on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. While the Crusader women’s team has started 5-0 as recently as last season, the men have not started with three wins since the 1994-95 club began with five straight victories.
THE MEN’S REPORT
One of the major factors in the early-season success of the men’s squad is the play of sophomore center Zigmas Kaknevicius (Bethpage, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran H.S.). After seeing his freshman campaign come to a premature conclusion with a severe dislocation of his left shoulder against Scranton on January 24 of last season, the 6-8 center has averaged 13.5 points and a team-high 9.5 boards in two games, shooting 52.6 percent from the floor in the process.
Kaknevicius extracted a measure of revenge against the Royals in the championship game of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip Off Tournament as he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team.
The star of Susquehanna’s win over Scranton was senior shooting guard Mike Witcoskie (Annville, Pa./Palmyra H.S.). The 6-2 co-captain scored a career-high 24 points, including 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range, to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors. For the season, Witcoskie is averaging a team-best 14.5 points and shooting 45.0 percent from the field.
Junior forward Corey Green (Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) started the season on a strong note as he tallied a game-high 18 points and pulled seven rebounds in the Crusaders’ 61-50 win over Goucher on Friday night. The 6-4 Green added 10 points and a team-high five assists against Scranton, and is second on the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game and third in rebounding at 7.0 per contest.
Taking care of a lot of the dirty work under the hoop has been senior forward Brad Rausch (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.), who is second on the team in rebounding at 8.5 per game and fourth in scoring at 12.5 per outing. The 6-5 Rausch led all players with 11 rebounds against Goucher and shot 7-for-10 from the field en route to 16 points in the championship-game win over Scranton. Rausch is shooting 61 percent from the floor and has recorded a team-high four steals.
At the point, freshman Lafayette Melton (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.) has played two solid games, particularly on the defensive end. Melton is averaging 3.0 points and 1.0 assists and has committed just four turnovers in 38 minutes of action. The 6-foot Melton scored four points against Scranton as he connected on 1-of-4 from the floor.
Off the bench, the story has been the play of freshman guard Nick Griffiths (Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.). After scoring just two points in nine minutes in his debut against Goucher, the 5-10 Griffiths exploded for 14 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes against Scranton, including four three-pointers in the first half alone to help the Crusaders build a 43-30 halftime lead.
Also contributing off Marcinek’s bench has been sophomore forward Jose Arrieta (Susquehanna, Pa./Susquehanna Community H.S.) and sophomore guard Tim Hurd (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills H.S.). The 6-6 Arrieta has been instant offense off the Crusader bench as he has scored 10 points in just 18 minutes over two games, shooting 3-for-5 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
Arrieta scored six points in just eight minutes of action in the win over Goucher, while the 6-2 Hurd notched five points and three boards against Goucher and dropped home four points in 12 minutes versus Scranton. After scoring eight points in five games as a freshman, Hurd has scored nine points in just two games this season.
THE WOMEN’S REPORT
The strong return of Kern (Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley H.S.) from last year’s devastating knee injury is as significant a development as the two early wins for the Crusaders. In her first game against Gallaudet, Kern scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while in the finals versus Alvernia she tallied a team-high 16 points and pulled seven boards en route to earning tournament MVP honors for the second straight year.
In addition, the 6-2 fifth-year senior has earned either All-Tournament or MVP honors at the Tip Off Tournament in every season of her career at Susquehanna. She is shooting 50 percent (15-for-30) from the field and is a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
Junior forward Amy Harrington (Danville, Pa./Danville H.S.) enjoyed a stellar opening weekend as she tallied 17 points and 13 boards against Gallaudet and added 15 points in the win over Alvernia — connecting on all three of her three-point attempts against Alvernia and 6-for-12 overall for the weekend. The 5-10 Harrington has been successful on all eight of her free-throw opportunities and leads the team with five steals.
Sophomore shooting guard Alison Ream (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) just missed equaling her career high of 14 points set last season at Lebanon Valley as she notched 13 points and pulled five rebounds against Alvernia. The 5-7 Ream is third on the squad in scoring at 9.0 points per game.
1999-2000 Commonwealth Conference first-team All-Star Leslie Clementoni (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) has gotten off to a slow start, much of which can be attributed to foul trouble. The 6-1 senior forward managed just three points against Gallaudet but came back strong against Alvernia with 10 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
Running the show at point has been senior tri-captain Susan Trella (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.). The four-year starter is averaging 3.0 points — just above her career mark of 2.9 — and 3.5 assists per game. She hit a three-pointer late in the first half against Alvernia, just the 12th of her career, and handed off four assists in the victory. Ever the ball hawk, Trella has also chipped in with a pair of steals this season.
The bench has been a consistent source of offense in the early going, as Hribar has played all 15 players on the roster in both games. Sophomore forward Emily Kurtz (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys H.S.) is the top scorer among the reserves at 7.5 points per game — including 11 in the season opener against Gallaudet. Sophomore guard Maggie Endler (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin H.S.) scored a career-high 11 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line in just 14 minutes against Alvernia, while sophomore guard Shannon Baker (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic H.S.) enjoyed a solid debut after missing last year with a knee injury as she tallied five points in six minutes against Alvernia on Sunday.
