Common Ground

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — A combination of Thanksgiving leftovers and identical 3-0 records undoubtedly have left good tastes in the mouths of the Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball teams as they returned to practice following five days off due to the holiday.

However, the week ahead will test both squads as Commonwealth Conference action begins with a pair of doubleheaders — at Messiah on Wednesday night and at Widener on Saturday afternoon. The Messiah women’s team and the Widener men’s squad won their respective Commonwealth Conference championships last season and are off to solid starts this year.

The Crusader men’s squad defeated York 79-68 last Monday behind a career-high 23 points from freshman guard Nick Griffiths while the women’s team moved to 3-0 with a 63-52 win at Ursinus behind a career-high 16 points from sophomore guard Alison Ream.

Messiah’s women’s team is off to a 2-1 start while their men’s team has opened the year with a 1-2 mark. Widener is ranked 16th in the D3hoops.com Men’s Top 25 poll and owns a 2-1 overall record, while the women’s squad has started the 2000-2001 campaign with an identical 2-1 record.

This road swing was not a happy one for the men’s team last year as the Crusaders fell 84-75 in overtime at Messiah and dropped a 77-73 decision at Widener, while the women were upended 75-55 by the Falcons but rebounded for an 82-73 victory over the Pioneers.

THE MEN’S REPORT

Susquehanna held York College to just 30.8 percent from the field in the second half and 34.2 percent overall in defeating the host Spartans 79-68 on Monday night. The victory helped the Crusaders improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1994-95, and was keyed by 10 three pointers in 17 attempts.

Freshman guard Nick Griffiths (Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.) made his first career start a memorable one as he rolled up a game- and career-high 23 points in the win. He hit on 7-of-11 shots from the field, including 3-for-5 from behind the three-point line.

In three games, Griffiths is averaging 13.0 points and is shooting 57.1 percent from the field. More importantly, in 71 minutes of action the freshman has committed just five turnovers despite facing pressure from both Scranton and York.

The Crusaders hit 10 three-pointers on 17 attempts at York, with senior shooting guard Mike Witcoskie draining five in seven attempts on his way to 18 points. Witcoskie leads the team in scoring average at 15.7 points per game and he has hit 11 threes in 23 attempts (47.8 percent).

One early trend has been success on the boards, and the starting frontcourt of junior forward Corey Green, senior forward Brad Rausch and sophomore center Zigmas Kaknevicius has helped Susquehanna outrebound its opponents by an average of 9.7 per game.

Rausch (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.) leads the team with an average of 9.7 rebounds per contest while tying for fourth at 10.7 points per game. He has reached double figures on the boards twice in three games, including 12 at York in 33 minutes of action.

Green (Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) has owned the defensive glass as 21 of his 26 boards for the season have come on defense. He is averaging 8.7 boards per game to go with 15.3 points per contest. He matched Rausch in the win at York with 12 rebounds (10 defensive) to go with 18 points in 35 minutes of play.

Kaknevicius (Bethpage, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran H.S.) has pulled 7.0 rebounds per game, but managed just two in 17 foul-plagued minutes at York. Kaknevicius is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and is tied with Rausch in scoring at 10.7 points per game.

The bench contributed just eight points in the win over York, but sophomore Jose Arrieta (Susquehanna, Pa./Susquehanna Community H.S.) stepped in when Kaknevicius ran into foul trouble and contributed three points and five rebounds in 21 minutes in the middle. Sophomore Kevin McLaughlin (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X H.S.) also saw time at York and pulled down two rebounds and blocked a shot in just two minutes of play.

Sophomore Tim Hurd (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills H.S.) continues to be a part of the regular guard rotation, and through three games is averaging 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing 14.7 minutes per game. At York, Hurd saw 11 minutes of action and scored three points and grabbed three rebounds.

THE WOMEN’S REPORT

The Crusaders owned the boards by a margin of 54 to 40 and held host Ursinus to 28.6 percent shooting from the field in Tuesday’s 63-52 non-conference win. Susquehanna overcame 25 turnovers and 45.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line for their third win in as many games this season.

Senior center Karyn Kern (Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley H.S.) scored 15 points and pulled a game-high 16 rebounds in the win, registering the 43rd double-double of her career. In addition, she became the fifth Susquehanna women’s basketball player to surpass 1,400 career points and is now fourth on the career scoring list at 1,409 points. She also blocked a season-high three shots in the win.

For the season, Kern is averaging team highs of 17.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. 22 of her 35 total rebounds have come on the offensive end.

Sophomore shooting guard Alison Ream (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) set a career high against Ursinus with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. The first-year starter is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game and is shooting 44.4 percent from both the three-point line and overall. Additionally, Ream is a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.

Senior forward Leslie Clementoni (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) tallied 11 points and 14 rebounds against Ursinus, and after three games is averaging 8.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. After shooting 49.6 percent from the field last season, Clementoni is just 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) on field goals in the new year.

Senior point guard Susan Trella (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) scored four points and dished off a season-high five assists in the Ursinus victory, and has moved into third place on the Susquehanna career assist list with 344 dishes in 78 career games (4.4 average). Trella is just 10 assists shy of passing Sandy Bartle (1982-86) for second place behind record-holder Ruth Athey (664 from 1980-1984).

Junior forward Amy Harrington (Danville, Pa./Danville H.S.) has scored in double figures in all three games after she connected for 13 points at Ursinus. She added a game-high five steals and leads the team with 10 thefts in three games. Harrington, whose next point will be the 500th of her career, has moved into second place on Susquehanna’ career three-pointer list with 48, trailing only Lisa Stack (59 from 1996-2000).

Though the Crusader bench accounted for just five points at Ursinus, it has been the play of reserves like sophomore forward Emily Kurtz, sophomore guard Maggie Endler, freshman center Courtney Sokol and freshman guard Ashley Donmoyer that has helped the Crusader average 72.7 points per game.

Kurtz (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys H.S.) leads all bench players with 5.3 points per game, while Endler (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin H.S.) has added 4.3 points per contest. Sokol (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth H.S.) tallied a career-high four points at Ursinus and is averaging 2.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game. Donmoyer (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove H.S.) has been a long-range threat with a pair of three pointers for six points in three games (2.0 average).

#jem/912#