New Year, New Season

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Following a hectic slate of tournament action, the Susquehanna University men’s and women’s basketball teams are prepared to resume their Commonwealth Conference schedules this week. More importantly, the Crusaders will play their first games in O.W. Houts Gymnasium in over one month as Lebanon Valley visits for a women’s game on Tuesday night and a men’s contest on Wednesday evening. On Saturday, the Crusaders will travel to Elizabethtown to face off with the Blue Jays in an afternoon doubleheader. Both the men’s and women’s team went 2-2 over holiday break, with the women bringing home runner-up trophies from the Lutheran Brotherhood and Days Inn Tournaments and the men capturing second at the UofS Invitational.

THE MEN’S REPORT

The Crusaders endured a grueling stretch of four games in five days last week and emerged with two victories. Susquehanna opened at the Franklin & Marshall Tip Off the New Year Tournament with a 73-62 loss to St. Mary’s (Md.) before rebounding with an 88-82 win over Lincoln (Pa.) in the consolation game behind a career-high 25 points from Mike Witcoskie. After a day of rest, the Crusaders headed to Scranton to face 13th-ranked Connecticut College in the opening round of the UofS Invitational. With Corey Green exploding for a career-best 28 points, the Crusaders pulled off the 74-72 upset of the Camels. However, the host Royals avenged an 89-80 loss in the finals of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament on November 18 with a 78-60 win in the championship game.

The Starters

SG Mike Witcoskie (Senior, Annville, Pa./Palmyra H.S.) — Witcoskie shot 10-for-17 from the field (including 5-for-7 from three-point range) against Lincoln University to surpass his previous high of 24 points set against Scranton on November 18. Entering the week, Witcoskie led the Commonwealth Conference and ranked 16th in Division III in three-pointers per game at 3.3 (23 in 7 games). Currently, Witcoskie has drilled 33 triples in 11 games (3.0 per contest). PG Nick Griffiths (Freshman, Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.) — Despite being hobbled by an ankle injury suffered in practice last week, Griffiths averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while connecting on 8-of-15 shots from three-point range. Against Lincoln, Griffiths scored 18 points, pulled a season-high six rebounds and registered four steals. He continues to lead the Crusaders in three-point percentage at 46.9 (23-for-49). PF Brad Rausch (Senior, Middletown, N.J./Middletown South H.S.) — Rausch helped key the upset of Connecticut College with 11 points and five rebounds, including 7-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line, and was named to the All-Tournament squad at the UofS Invitational. For the year, Rausch is tied for the team lead in rebounding at 7.1 per game while his 50 percent shooting from the field is second on the squad. He also ranks second on the team with 34 free-throw attempts. SF Corey Green (Junior, Roselle, N.J./Roselle Catholic H.S.) — Green has scored in double figures in 10 of the Crusaders’ 11 games this season, including four performances of 20 or more points. He was ranked third in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring at 18.0 ppg and seventh in three-pointers per game at 1.86 (through December 26). Over the last three games, Green has made 16-of-20 from the free-throw line (80 percent). C Zigmas Kaknevicius (Sophomore, Bethpage, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran H.S.) — Kaknevicius continues to lead the Crusaders in both field-goal percentage (53.9 percent, 41-for-76) and free-throw percentage (82.1 percent, 23-for-28). Through December 26, Kaknevicius ranked fourth in the Commonwealth Conference in blocked shots per game (1.14) and fifth in rebounding (7.7 per game). Kaknevicius has scored in double figures six times in Susquehanna’s 11 games.

Off the Bench

Freshman guard Lafayette Melton (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.) established a career high with 10 points against St. Mary’s, including three three-pointers in as many attempts. Sophomore forward Jose Arrieta (Susquehanna, Pa./Susquehanna Community H.S.) also set a career high against St. Mary’s with nine rebounds in 22 minutes. Sophomore guard Tim Hurd (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills H.S.) averaged 12.5 minutes per game during the Crusaders’ tournament action and matched his season and career high with eight points at Scranton.

THE WOMEN’S REPORT

It was feast or famine for the Crusaders during their four-game tournament stretch. The team traveled to California Lutheran to participate in the Lutheran Brotherhood Tournament and emerged with a split of two games — defeating Concordia-Irvine 65-57 on December 29 before a 64-26 loss to Pacific Lutheran in the championship game on December 30. The 26 points (on just five field goals) were the fewest for the Crusaders since a 65-22 loss to Dickinson on February 13, 1975. Alison Ream and Leslie Clementoni were named to the All-Tournament team. The Crusaders returned to Selinsgrove on New Year’s Day and regrouped before traveling to Gettysburg for the Days Inn Tournament. After an 80-70 win over York College in the semifinals, the host Bullets knocked off the Crusaders 58-49 in the championship game. Karyn Kern was the lone Susquehanna player named to the All-Tournament team. Susquehanna may have suffered a bigger loss in the York game as senior forward Leslie Clementoni (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) injured her right knee in the second half. She did not play against Gettysburg and is day-to-day pending further examination.

The Starters

SG Alison Ream (Sophomore, Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) — Ream matched her career high of 16 points against Gettysburg and is third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game. She also leads the team in free-throw percentage at 79.2 percent and averaged 3.3 assists per game during the four-game tournament swing. PG Susan Trella (Senior, Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) — Trella, a career 2.9 point per game scorer, averaged 7.5 points per contest at the Days Inn Tournament — including a season-best 10 points against York. Trella also averaged 6.0 assists in the two games to boost her career total to 372 — the second-most in school history. PF Kait Gillis (Sophomore, Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity H.S.) — Gillis made her first career start at Gettysburg in the place of Clementoni and posted three points and three rebounds in 31 minutes of action. In a reserve role against York, Gillis played 15 minutes and grabbed a season-high six rebounds. SF Amy Harrington (Junior, Danville, Pa./Danville H.S.) — Harrington continues to creep closer to Lisa Stack’s career record for three-pointers, as she has connected on 56 triples in 2 1/2 seasons to stand just two shy of Stack’s 1996-2000 record of 58. She scored 22 of her 24 points at the Days Inn Tournament during the first half, and for the season her 11.2 points per game rank second on the team. C Karyn Kern (Senior, Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley H.S.) — Kern moved past the 1,500-point and 900-rebound mark with 26 points and 10 boards against York. She notched her seventh double-double of the season and the 49th of her career against Gettysburg with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Through December 26, Kern ranked second in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring (16.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (10.9 rpg).

Off the Bench

Sophomore guard Emily Kurtz (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys H.S.) notched eight points in 17 minutes to help the Crusaders defeat York, and she leads all reserves with 3.8 points per game. Freshman center Courtney Sokol (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth H.S.) continues to contribute as the first post player off the bench, averaging 2.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg.