From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College wrapped up the 2009 portion of its men's basketball schedule with a 72-61 non-conference win over Muhlenberg College at Thompson Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
The Blue Jays (8-3 overall) earned their fourth straight victory by forcing the Mules (5-4 overall) into 34 turnovers, converting the miscues into 33 points. Keith Fogel led the Blue Jays with 16 points while Josh Houseal hit a career-best three three-pointers and finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Evan Tozer led the Mules with 13 points while Peter Barnes added 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots and Spencer Liddic chipped in with 12 points and nine boards as Muhlenberg finished with a 49-31 advantage in rebounding.
Elizabethtown never trailed in the contest, holding Muhlenberg scoreless for nearly four minutes as part of a 12-3 run that gave the Blue Jays a 22-11 lead with 8:23 left in the first half.
The Blue Jays went 7-for-11 from three-point range in the first half and led 40-27 at intermission, but hit just one of eight attempts from beyond the arc after the break as part of a 26.5 percent (9-for-34) overall shooting performance in the second half.
The Mules trailed 49-34 with 14:57 left, but trimmed the deficit to 51-45 following a layup by Liddic with 9:14 to play. However, Mark Vogel scored the game's next six points to extend the Blue Jay lead to 57-45 with 8:11 to go.
Elizabethtown received solid contributions from its bench, with 10 players combining for 26 points and eight rebounds. Vogel and Brady Haughney each scored six points off the bench for the Blue Jays, while Justin Greenstone and Brian Frankowski each came off the Mule bench to tally six points as well.
From the Muhlenberg College Website:
men’s basketball learns lessons
Two days after the end of the final exam period for the first semester, the Muhlenberg men’s basketball team went back to school and learned some important lessons in a 72-61 loss at Elizabethtown.
One was that the Mules will have to step up their game against high-quality competition. After winning four in a row against teams with a combined record of 5-26, Muhlenberg faces the other three 2009 Centennial Conference semifinalists in its first nine days back in 2010.
Another is that continuing to play hard pays off. The Mules, who trailed the Blue Jays 20-6 midway through the first half and by 13 (40-27) at halftime, got back in the game with exceptional defense. Down 49-34 five minutes into the second half, Muhlenberg went on an 11-2 run to cut the gap to six. Elizabethtown (8-3) scored the next six points, however, and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
And last but not least, it’s hard to beat anybody when you commit turnovers. The Mules had a 49-31 rebounding advantage and held Elizabethtown to 34.3-percent shooting (26.5 percent in the second half) but turned the ball over 34 times against the pressure defense of the Blue Jays.
Senior Peter Barnes notched his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Spencer Liddic just missed a double-double, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half and adding nine rebounds.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Schlosser Earns 300th Win as Blue Jays Defeat Royals, 63-52
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Keith Fogel scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half as Elizabethtown College defeated the University of Scranton 63-52 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night, giving Blue Jay head coach Bob Schlosser his 300th career victory.
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20th season with the Blue Jays, and ranks second in program history behind the 331 wins amassed by Don Smith from 1954-64 and 1972-88. Following the game, his players presented him with the game ball and a plaque commemorating the milestone victory.
Mike Church and Joe Flanagan each scored 14 points apiece for the Blue Jays (7-3 overall), while Eli Londo paced the Royals (6-3 overall) with game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The Royals self-destructed in the first half, finishing with more turnovers (18) than points (17) and going 8 minutes, 48 seconds without a point as the Blue Jays turned a 13-9 deficit into a 21-13 lead.
The Blue Jays held a 28-17 lead at intermission behind 12 points from Church, while Londo led the Royals with eight points and four rebounds. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half, as Elizabethtown shot 10-for-27 (37 percent) overall and 1-for-8 from three-point range while Scranton hit 38.1 percent (8-for-21) and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Elizabethtown built its lead to as many as 12 points early in the second half, and held a 38-28 advantage with 16:20 to go before Scranton went on a 12-4 run to whittle the deficit to 42-40 with 11:03 left on a three-pointer by Londo.
A basket by Church and a three-pointer by Fogel pushed the Blue Jay advantage back to eight points (48-40) with 8:49 to go, but the Royals crept back within four at 55-51 on a layup by Zach Ashworth with 2:31 left. However, it would be Scranton's last field goal of the game as the Blue Jays finished with an 8-1 run that featured four free throws by Fogel and breakaway layups by Josh Houseal and Kyle McConnell.
Overall, Elizabethtown finished at 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field and went 13-for-20 from the foul line, while Scranton connected at 41.7 percent (20-for-48) overall and 9-for-12 at the line. Scranton held a 37-33 edge in rebounding and finished with 28 turnovers to 16 by Elizabethtown.
Ashworth, who entered the game leading the Landmark Conference in scoring at 18.4 points per game and in three-pointers per game (2.75), went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points, with seven coming in the final five minutes.
From the University of Scranton Website:
Elizabethtown Holds Off Second-Half Rally To Defeat Royals, 63-52, Saturday Evening; Londo Paces Scranton With Career-Highs of 19 Points and 12 Rebounds
December 12, 2009
Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.-The University of Scranton's bid to fight back from an 11-point halftime deficit fell short against Elizabethtown College Saturday evening at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Royals closed to within two, 42-40, before the Blue Jays ended the game on a 21-12 run to hold on for a 63-52 victory. Junior guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) led Elizabethtown, now 7-3, with 16 points and senior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, Pa./Solanco) and junior guards Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added 14 points apiece.
Senior forward Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa./North Pocono) posted his third ‘double-double' of his career with 19 points and 12 rebounds-posting a career-high in points and tying his career-high in rebounds-and junior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) added 11 points for the Royals, who turned the ball over a season-high 28 times.
It was turnovers that dug a huge hole for Scranton in the first half. The Royals managed to build up an early 13-9 lead, but turned the ball over 11 times in the final 12 minutes of play, which sparked a 19-4 rally by the Blue Jays en route to a 28-17 lead by intermission. Scranton compounded its problems by shooting only 38 percent from the field, including 14.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Royals, who shot nearly 45 percent from the field in the second half to jump start its offense, got to within two on a 3-pointer by Londo to cap off a 23-14 rally with 11:02 remaining. Flanagan, Church and Fogel then combined for nine points during a 13-4 spurt over the next six minutes to stretch Elizabethtown's lead to 11, 55-44, with 5:42 remaining.
Scranton made one last-ditch effort to pull out the win, as Ashworth scored six straight points during an 8-2 run to cut the margin to four, 55-51, with 2:31 left. The Royals, however, committed two costly turnovers and back-to-back lay-ups by Blue Jay senior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) and sophomore Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) helped seal the victory.
The win was number 300 for veteran head coach Bob Schlosser, now in his 20th season at Elizabethtown. He is now 300-201 (.599) in his collegiate career.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Royals, now 6-3. Scranton will close out a two-game road trip this Tuesday, December 15, against Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
News & Notes: Scranton still leads the all-time series with Elizabethtown, 44-18, but the Blue Jays have now won five of the last eight meetings...Londo's previous career-high of 17 points came against Albright on December 13, 2008, at the Long Center and earlier this year against Bard College, also at the Long Center...Londo connected on 8 of 12 shots from the field, but the rest of the Royals went a combined 12-for-36 (33.3 percent)...Scranton shot a season-low 17.6 percent (3 of 17) from the 3-point arc...the Royals previous season-high for turnovers was 27 in a 96-77 loss to then 2nd-ranked John Carroll in the championship game of the Radisson Invitational on Sunday, November 22...all three of Londo's ‘double-doubles' in points and rebounds have come this year.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
E-town's Schlosser collects 300th win
Former players gave him a standing ovation after 63-52 triumph over Scranton.
Sunday News
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
For Bob Schlosser, the number, however big and round, was secondary to the way it was achieved.
The coach came to Elizabethtown in 1990 hoping to build a program on the foundation of two principles: playing hard and playing together.
Twenty seasons later, that approach produced Schlosser's 300th win at the school.
E-town College knocked off Scranton, 63-52, in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gym Saturday night.
It was a victory for a lifetime coach to savor.
"Now that it has been 20 years here, you start to appreciate it a little bit more," Schlosser said. "Now it starts to really sink in. This is special. It really is.
"I just feel proud of the fact that we built a program. There are a lot of people who had their hand in it. That's what's important, the relationships that you build with players and coaches."
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20 seasons at E-town. He ranks second on the school's all-time win list behind Don Smith, who has 331.
The magnitude of the accomplishment wasn't lost on Elizabethtown's players. They gathered around their coach and posed for pictures after the game.
"It's a huge thing," said senior Mike Church, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. "That's a huge milestone at any coaching level. He's got that system and he's done it for a long time. Because of that, he has 300 wins."
E-town's players registered No. 300 by relying on sheer effort to overcome their cold shooting (37.5 percent) and occasional lack of execution.
In other words, they won by playing hard and playing together.
The Blue Jays took the lead for good with a suffocating 12-0 run in the first half. They held Scranton without a point for a span of 8:46 as they built a 21-13 advantage.
The combination of E-town's pressure and Scranton's sloppiness created 18 turnovers and resulted in just 17 points for the Royals in the first half. E-town turned those turnovers into 15 points and led by 11 at intermission.
"We weren't shooting the ball well," Schlosser said. "At least our pressure was causing them to turn it over and not get into any kind of flow. Our intensity and our pressure kept us in the lead even through the later stages of the game."
Although Scranton overcame its early struggles and hung close in the second half, the Royals were never able to pull even. The closest they came was 42-40 after Dan Hilferty and Eli Londo hit consecutive 3-pointers with 11 minutes remaining.
E-town responded with another stretch of shut-down defense. The Jays held Scranton to one field goal over the next 4:52 to quickly extend the lead back to 11 points. It was never closer than four points the rest of the way.
Keith Fogel scored 12 of his career-high 16 points in the second half for E-town. Lancaster Mennonite grad Joe Flanagan added 14 points.
"Tonight's game was not a pretty win," said Schlosser, whose team improved to 7-3. "But I think our energy and our intensity got us the 'W.' We didn't shoot it well. We had some breakdowns defensively, but we're a team that always plays with a lot of fire. I think tonight that was the difference."
Schlosser downplayed the importance of No. 300 in the days leading up to this game. He didn't want to put the focus on a personal achievement when his team was seeking its collective goals for the season.
After the win was in the books, Schlosser was awarded a plaque and a game ball. Some of his former players gave him a standing ovation from the bleachers.
It was evidence that the coach was right. Milestones are more than numbers. They're about the people you meet along the way.
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Keith Fogel scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half as Elizabethtown College defeated the University of Scranton 63-52 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night, giving Blue Jay head coach Bob Schlosser his 300th career victory.
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20th season with the Blue Jays, and ranks second in program history behind the 331 wins amassed by Don Smith from 1954-64 and 1972-88. Following the game, his players presented him with the game ball and a plaque commemorating the milestone victory.
Mike Church and Joe Flanagan each scored 14 points apiece for the Blue Jays (7-3 overall), while Eli Londo paced the Royals (6-3 overall) with game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The Royals self-destructed in the first half, finishing with more turnovers (18) than points (17) and going 8 minutes, 48 seconds without a point as the Blue Jays turned a 13-9 deficit into a 21-13 lead.
The Blue Jays held a 28-17 lead at intermission behind 12 points from Church, while Londo led the Royals with eight points and four rebounds. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half, as Elizabethtown shot 10-for-27 (37 percent) overall and 1-for-8 from three-point range while Scranton hit 38.1 percent (8-for-21) and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Elizabethtown built its lead to as many as 12 points early in the second half, and held a 38-28 advantage with 16:20 to go before Scranton went on a 12-4 run to whittle the deficit to 42-40 with 11:03 left on a three-pointer by Londo.
A basket by Church and a three-pointer by Fogel pushed the Blue Jay advantage back to eight points (48-40) with 8:49 to go, but the Royals crept back within four at 55-51 on a layup by Zach Ashworth with 2:31 left. However, it would be Scranton's last field goal of the game as the Blue Jays finished with an 8-1 run that featured four free throws by Fogel and breakaway layups by Josh Houseal and Kyle McConnell.
Overall, Elizabethtown finished at 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field and went 13-for-20 from the foul line, while Scranton connected at 41.7 percent (20-for-48) overall and 9-for-12 at the line. Scranton held a 37-33 edge in rebounding and finished with 28 turnovers to 16 by Elizabethtown.
Ashworth, who entered the game leading the Landmark Conference in scoring at 18.4 points per game and in three-pointers per game (2.75), went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points, with seven coming in the final five minutes.
From the University of Scranton Website:
Elizabethtown Holds Off Second-Half Rally To Defeat Royals, 63-52, Saturday Evening; Londo Paces Scranton With Career-Highs of 19 Points and 12 Rebounds
December 12, 2009
Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.-The University of Scranton's bid to fight back from an 11-point halftime deficit fell short against Elizabethtown College Saturday evening at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Royals closed to within two, 42-40, before the Blue Jays ended the game on a 21-12 run to hold on for a 63-52 victory. Junior guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) led Elizabethtown, now 7-3, with 16 points and senior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, Pa./Solanco) and junior guards Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added 14 points apiece.
Senior forward Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa./North Pocono) posted his third ‘double-double' of his career with 19 points and 12 rebounds-posting a career-high in points and tying his career-high in rebounds-and junior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) added 11 points for the Royals, who turned the ball over a season-high 28 times.
It was turnovers that dug a huge hole for Scranton in the first half. The Royals managed to build up an early 13-9 lead, but turned the ball over 11 times in the final 12 minutes of play, which sparked a 19-4 rally by the Blue Jays en route to a 28-17 lead by intermission. Scranton compounded its problems by shooting only 38 percent from the field, including 14.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Royals, who shot nearly 45 percent from the field in the second half to jump start its offense, got to within two on a 3-pointer by Londo to cap off a 23-14 rally with 11:02 remaining. Flanagan, Church and Fogel then combined for nine points during a 13-4 spurt over the next six minutes to stretch Elizabethtown's lead to 11, 55-44, with 5:42 remaining.
Scranton made one last-ditch effort to pull out the win, as Ashworth scored six straight points during an 8-2 run to cut the margin to four, 55-51, with 2:31 left. The Royals, however, committed two costly turnovers and back-to-back lay-ups by Blue Jay senior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) and sophomore Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) helped seal the victory.
The win was number 300 for veteran head coach Bob Schlosser, now in his 20th season at Elizabethtown. He is now 300-201 (.599) in his collegiate career.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Royals, now 6-3. Scranton will close out a two-game road trip this Tuesday, December 15, against Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
News & Notes: Scranton still leads the all-time series with Elizabethtown, 44-18, but the Blue Jays have now won five of the last eight meetings...Londo's previous career-high of 17 points came against Albright on December 13, 2008, at the Long Center and earlier this year against Bard College, also at the Long Center...Londo connected on 8 of 12 shots from the field, but the rest of the Royals went a combined 12-for-36 (33.3 percent)...Scranton shot a season-low 17.6 percent (3 of 17) from the 3-point arc...the Royals previous season-high for turnovers was 27 in a 96-77 loss to then 2nd-ranked John Carroll in the championship game of the Radisson Invitational on Sunday, November 22...all three of Londo's ‘double-doubles' in points and rebounds have come this year.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
E-town's Schlosser collects 300th win
Former players gave him a standing ovation after 63-52 triumph over Scranton.
Sunday News
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
For Bob Schlosser, the number, however big and round, was secondary to the way it was achieved.
The coach came to Elizabethtown in 1990 hoping to build a program on the foundation of two principles: playing hard and playing together.
Twenty seasons later, that approach produced Schlosser's 300th win at the school.
E-town College knocked off Scranton, 63-52, in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gym Saturday night.
It was a victory for a lifetime coach to savor.
"Now that it has been 20 years here, you start to appreciate it a little bit more," Schlosser said. "Now it starts to really sink in. This is special. It really is.
"I just feel proud of the fact that we built a program. There are a lot of people who had their hand in it. That's what's important, the relationships that you build with players and coaches."
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20 seasons at E-town. He ranks second on the school's all-time win list behind Don Smith, who has 331.
The magnitude of the accomplishment wasn't lost on Elizabethtown's players. They gathered around their coach and posed for pictures after the game.
"It's a huge thing," said senior Mike Church, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. "That's a huge milestone at any coaching level. He's got that system and he's done it for a long time. Because of that, he has 300 wins."
E-town's players registered No. 300 by relying on sheer effort to overcome their cold shooting (37.5 percent) and occasional lack of execution.
In other words, they won by playing hard and playing together.
The Blue Jays took the lead for good with a suffocating 12-0 run in the first half. They held Scranton without a point for a span of 8:46 as they built a 21-13 advantage.
The combination of E-town's pressure and Scranton's sloppiness created 18 turnovers and resulted in just 17 points for the Royals in the first half. E-town turned those turnovers into 15 points and led by 11 at intermission.
"We weren't shooting the ball well," Schlosser said. "At least our pressure was causing them to turn it over and not get into any kind of flow. Our intensity and our pressure kept us in the lead even through the later stages of the game."
Although Scranton overcame its early struggles and hung close in the second half, the Royals were never able to pull even. The closest they came was 42-40 after Dan Hilferty and Eli Londo hit consecutive 3-pointers with 11 minutes remaining.
E-town responded with another stretch of shut-down defense. The Jays held Scranton to one field goal over the next 4:52 to quickly extend the lead back to 11 points. It was never closer than four points the rest of the way.
Keith Fogel scored 12 of his career-high 16 points in the second half for E-town. Lancaster Mennonite grad Joe Flanagan added 14 points.
"Tonight's game was not a pretty win," said Schlosser, whose team improved to 7-3. "But I think our energy and our intensity got us the 'W.' We didn't shoot it well. We had some breakdowns defensively, but we're a team that always plays with a lot of fire. I think tonight that was the difference."
Schlosser downplayed the importance of No. 300 in the days leading up to this game. He didn't want to put the focus on a personal achievement when his team was seeking its collective goals for the season.
After the win was in the books, Schlosser was awarded a plaque and a game ball. Some of his former players gave him a standing ovation from the bleachers.
It was evidence that the coach was right. Milestones are more than numbers. They're about the people you meet along the way.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Blue Jays Use Balance to Defeat Colonels, 76-69
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Four players scored in double figures to help Elizabethtown College defeat Wilkes University 76-69 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gymnasium Wednesday night.
Mike Church led the way for the Blue Jays (6-3 overall) with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Bryan Harrity contributed a career-high 14 points off the bench as Elizabethtown led by as many as 17 points before the Colonels (4-3 overall) mounted a late rally. The win was the 299th career victory for Elizabethtown head coach Bob Schlosser, who was coaching in his 500th game in 20 seasons on the Blue Jay sidelines.
Tom Kresge led Wilkes with a game-high 25 points along with six rebounds, while Anthony Gabriel grabbed a game-best eight rebounds and chipped in with 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots, but the Colonels could not overcome 38.1 percent shooting (24-for-63) in falling to the Blue Jays for the second time this season. Elizabethtown defeated Wilkes 66-57 at Susquehanna University's tournament on Nov. 20.
Also reaching double figures for Elizabethtown were Joe Flanagan, with 14 points, and Keith Fogel, who netted 11 points along with a game-high five assists and held Chris DeRojas, Wilkes' second-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, to just one field goal and four points on the evening.
Harrity, who had set his previous career high of 11 points in the Blue Jays' most-recent game, a 69-64 overtime win over Messiah on Saturday, went 5-for-7 from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts. He helped the Elizabethtown bench finish with a 25-11 advantage in scoring over the Wilkes reserves.
Wilkes led by as many as five points in the game's opening minutes, but a 14-4 run in the latter stages of the half helped Elizabethtown to a 37-32 lead at intermission. Harrity and Flanagan shared the game high with 10 points apiece for the Blue Jays, who shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the field in the half.
The Colonels kept their deficit within six points at 51-45 with 12:40 to go, but the Blue Jays took over from there as a 16-2 run pushed the Elizabethtown advantage to a game-high 17 points at 64-47 with 6:27 left. The Colonels pared the Blue Jay lead to six in the final 30 seconds but could get no closer.
Kyle McConnell just missed joining the Blue Jay quartet in double figures, as he finished with eight points along with four rebounds. In all, the Blue Jays had a slim 39-38 advantage on the glass while each team committed 14 turnovers.
From the Wilkes University Website:
COLONELS FALL TO ELIZABETHTOWN IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
box score
For the second time this season, the Wilkes University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown, this time by a score of 76-69. Tom Kresge had another impressive performance, hitting 11-of-18 shots for a game-high 25 points.
The Blue Jays had four players scoring in double-figures while hitting 45.9 percent from the field as a team. The Colonels on the other hand, struggled hitting 24-of-63 shots for 38.1 percent.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half with the Colonels holding the lead most of the way. Mike Donatoni hit a pair of free throws with 8:24 to give Wilkes a 22-21 advantage. The Blue Jays proceeded to go a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 31-21 lead with 4:47 to go and would lead the rest of the way.
The score was tied four times in the first half and the lead changed seven different times, but Elizabethtown would eventually take a 37-32 lead at the half.
Already leading 51-45, with 12:40 to go, the Blue Jays used a 9-0 run to lead 60-45with 7:49 to play. Elizabethtown would eventually lead by as many as 17, but Wilkes used a 7-0 in the final minute of the game to pull within seven.
Wilkes fell to 4-3 on the year, while E-town improved to 6-3. The Colonels will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Lycoming on the road at 1 p.m.
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Four players scored in double figures to help Elizabethtown College defeat Wilkes University 76-69 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gymnasium Wednesday night.
Mike Church led the way for the Blue Jays (6-3 overall) with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Bryan Harrity contributed a career-high 14 points off the bench as Elizabethtown led by as many as 17 points before the Colonels (4-3 overall) mounted a late rally. The win was the 299th career victory for Elizabethtown head coach Bob Schlosser, who was coaching in his 500th game in 20 seasons on the Blue Jay sidelines.
Tom Kresge led Wilkes with a game-high 25 points along with six rebounds, while Anthony Gabriel grabbed a game-best eight rebounds and chipped in with 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots, but the Colonels could not overcome 38.1 percent shooting (24-for-63) in falling to the Blue Jays for the second time this season. Elizabethtown defeated Wilkes 66-57 at Susquehanna University's tournament on Nov. 20.
Also reaching double figures for Elizabethtown were Joe Flanagan, with 14 points, and Keith Fogel, who netted 11 points along with a game-high five assists and held Chris DeRojas, Wilkes' second-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, to just one field goal and four points on the evening.
Harrity, who had set his previous career high of 11 points in the Blue Jays' most-recent game, a 69-64 overtime win over Messiah on Saturday, went 5-for-7 from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts. He helped the Elizabethtown bench finish with a 25-11 advantage in scoring over the Wilkes reserves.
Wilkes led by as many as five points in the game's opening minutes, but a 14-4 run in the latter stages of the half helped Elizabethtown to a 37-32 lead at intermission. Harrity and Flanagan shared the game high with 10 points apiece for the Blue Jays, who shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the field in the half.
The Colonels kept their deficit within six points at 51-45 with 12:40 to go, but the Blue Jays took over from there as a 16-2 run pushed the Elizabethtown advantage to a game-high 17 points at 64-47 with 6:27 left. The Colonels pared the Blue Jay lead to six in the final 30 seconds but could get no closer.
Kyle McConnell just missed joining the Blue Jay quartet in double figures, as he finished with eight points along with four rebounds. In all, the Blue Jays had a slim 39-38 advantage on the glass while each team committed 14 turnovers.
From the Wilkes University Website:
COLONELS FALL TO ELIZABETHTOWN IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
box score
For the second time this season, the Wilkes University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown, this time by a score of 76-69. Tom Kresge had another impressive performance, hitting 11-of-18 shots for a game-high 25 points.
The Blue Jays had four players scoring in double-figures while hitting 45.9 percent from the field as a team. The Colonels on the other hand, struggled hitting 24-of-63 shots for 38.1 percent.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half with the Colonels holding the lead most of the way. Mike Donatoni hit a pair of free throws with 8:24 to give Wilkes a 22-21 advantage. The Blue Jays proceeded to go a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 31-21 lead with 4:47 to go and would lead the rest of the way.
The score was tied four times in the first half and the lead changed seven different times, but Elizabethtown would eventually take a 37-32 lead at the half.
Already leading 51-45, with 12:40 to go, the Blue Jays used a 9-0 run to lead 60-45with 7:49 to play. Elizabethtown would eventually lead by as many as 17, but Wilkes used a 7-0 in the final minute of the game to pull within seven.
Wilkes fell to 4-3 on the year, while E-town improved to 6-3. The Colonels will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Lycoming on the road at 1 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
More Game Coverage
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Blue Jays earn an early 'must win'
Blue Jays rally from 16-point deficit to beat Messiah in overtime.
Dec 06, 2009 00:11 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
It's not often a college basketball coach puts a must-win emphasis on a game played in early December.
That was the attitude Elizabethtown's Bob Schlosser took into Saturday.
"This was a critical game for us," he said. "We never say to our guys, 'You have to win this one.' But we said that tonight. We felt we had to win."
E-town's players answered their coach's request. They rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to edge Messiah, 69-64, in overtime at Thompson Gym.
Why did a game played so early in the season carry such importance for E-town?
The Blue Jays had already lost their Centennial Conference opener against Alvernia Wednesday. A setback against Messiah would have left the Jays 0-2 in the conference with both losses coming at home. That would have put a serious dent in their hopes of contending this season.
Even with that consequence at stake, E-town didn't exactly come out firing on all cylinders. The Jays were stagnant on offense and a step slow on defense until the early stages of the second half.
Messiah hit 7 of its first 11 attempts from behind the 3-point arc as it built a 41-25 lead with 18:47 remaining in regulation.
That's when E-town flipped its defensive switch and played with more urgency.
"We started pressing," Schlosser said. "We always pick up full court, but we did a little more trapping and pressing out of it, which I thought made the difference. It was not only good for turnovers, but I thought it took them out of their offense."
E-town burst on a 17-2 run in the span of 6:42 to cut the deficit to one point and give itself new life.
Messiah, which had been so efficient on offense, broke down in the second half. The Falcons only made three of their final 13 3-point attempts and only shot 10-for-33 after halftime.
"I thought there were points in the second half when we were organized," Messiah coach Rick Van Pelt said. "But definitely at the end of regulation we made a couple of terrible miscues, just being in the wrong spot.
"E-town does a great job. They put pressure on you from start to finish. They make you play the full court. We just had people out of position at the end. They made some big plays. They scrambled and did a good job."
Elizabethtown overcame a 55-48 deficit in the final 2:09 of regulation. Hempfield grad Mark Vogel hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining that capped a 7-0 run and pulled E-town even.
Keith Fogel's steal and layup with 27 seconds left gave E-town its first lead at 59-57, but Messiah's Chris Yoder, also a Hempfield alum, made a basket with 15.9 seconds remaining to force overtime.
E-town opened the OT with a 7-2 run to pull away from Messiah and prevail.
Fogel led a quartet of Blue Jay players scoring in double figures with 17 points. Lancaster Mennonite's Joe Flanagan added 15, Bryan Harrity had a career-high 11 off the bench and Solanco's Mike Church chipped in 10.
Messiah was led by Northern Lebanon's Colton Reitz, who contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds.
It was a grind-it-out win for E-town. The Jays only had five field goals in the final 14 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime and only shot 27 percent during that stretch. They won by hitting 22 of their 27 free throw attempts.
E-town didn't play great, but it played well enough to earn a crucial victory.
"This is a game we really needed," Schlosser said. "We needed it just for our psyche. To go 0-2 in the conference with both games being at home would have been really tough to deal with."
Blue Jays earn an early 'must win'
Blue Jays rally from 16-point deficit to beat Messiah in overtime.
Dec 06, 2009 00:11 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
It's not often a college basketball coach puts a must-win emphasis on a game played in early December.
That was the attitude Elizabethtown's Bob Schlosser took into Saturday.
"This was a critical game for us," he said. "We never say to our guys, 'You have to win this one.' But we said that tonight. We felt we had to win."
E-town's players answered their coach's request. They rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to edge Messiah, 69-64, in overtime at Thompson Gym.
Why did a game played so early in the season carry such importance for E-town?
The Blue Jays had already lost their Centennial Conference opener against Alvernia Wednesday. A setback against Messiah would have left the Jays 0-2 in the conference with both losses coming at home. That would have put a serious dent in their hopes of contending this season.
Even with that consequence at stake, E-town didn't exactly come out firing on all cylinders. The Jays were stagnant on offense and a step slow on defense until the early stages of the second half.
Messiah hit 7 of its first 11 attempts from behind the 3-point arc as it built a 41-25 lead with 18:47 remaining in regulation.
That's when E-town flipped its defensive switch and played with more urgency.
"We started pressing," Schlosser said. "We always pick up full court, but we did a little more trapping and pressing out of it, which I thought made the difference. It was not only good for turnovers, but I thought it took them out of their offense."
E-town burst on a 17-2 run in the span of 6:42 to cut the deficit to one point and give itself new life.
Messiah, which had been so efficient on offense, broke down in the second half. The Falcons only made three of their final 13 3-point attempts and only shot 10-for-33 after halftime.
"I thought there were points in the second half when we were organized," Messiah coach Rick Van Pelt said. "But definitely at the end of regulation we made a couple of terrible miscues, just being in the wrong spot.
"E-town does a great job. They put pressure on you from start to finish. They make you play the full court. We just had people out of position at the end. They made some big plays. They scrambled and did a good job."
Elizabethtown overcame a 55-48 deficit in the final 2:09 of regulation. Hempfield grad Mark Vogel hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining that capped a 7-0 run and pulled E-town even.
Keith Fogel's steal and layup with 27 seconds left gave E-town its first lead at 59-57, but Messiah's Chris Yoder, also a Hempfield alum, made a basket with 15.9 seconds remaining to force overtime.
E-town opened the OT with a 7-2 run to pull away from Messiah and prevail.
Fogel led a quartet of Blue Jay players scoring in double figures with 17 points. Lancaster Mennonite's Joe Flanagan added 15, Bryan Harrity had a career-high 11 off the bench and Solanco's Mike Church chipped in 10.
Messiah was led by Northern Lebanon's Colton Reitz, who contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds.
It was a grind-it-out win for E-town. The Jays only had five field goals in the final 14 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime and only shot 27 percent during that stretch. They won by hitting 22 of their 27 free throw attempts.
E-town didn't play great, but it played well enough to earn a crucial victory.
"This is a game we really needed," Schlosser said. "We needed it just for our psyche. To go 0-2 in the conference with both games being at home would have been really tough to deal with."
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Blue Jays Overcome 16-Point Deficit in OT Win Over Messiah
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to force overtime, and went on to defeat Messiah College 69-64 in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Keith Fogel sparked the comeback for the Blue Jays by scoring all of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including the tiebreaking three-pointer with 3:44 left in overtime, for the Blue Jays (5-3 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth).
Joe Flanagan added 15 points for the Blue Jays, while Bryan Harrity chipped in with a career-high 11 points in 13 minutes off the bench and Mike Church finished with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Elizabethtown, which shot just 36.4 percent (20-for-55) as a team in the game but connected on 23-of-29 free-throw attempts overall and committed just one turnover after halftime.
Colton Reitz led the Falcons (4-3 overall, 0-2 Commonwealth) with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, but after shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field in the opening half Messiah hit just 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) after intermission.
Messiah took the lead in the game's opening minute and carried a 37-25 advantage into halftime behind 12 points from Reitz. The Falcon lead grew to 41-25 in the opening minute of the second half, but Elizabethtown whittled the deficit away and finally evened the score at 55-55 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 1:13 remaining. Reitz sank two foul shots with 55 seconds remaining to push the Falcons back ahead 57-55, but Flanagan hit a pair at the other end with 45 seconds left to retie the score at 57-57.
Fogel gave Elizabethtown its first lead of the game at 59-57 with a steal and layup with 27 seconds to play, but Chris Yoder's basket with 16 seconds to go knotted the score at 59-59. Elizabethtown had a final chance to win the game in regulation but misfired with six seconds to go, and Messiah was unable to get off a final shot as the teams went to overtime.
In the extra period, the Blue Jays scored the first four points to go up 63-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 3:44 to go and a free throw by Flanagan with 2:05 remaining. Jamie Yoder hit a jumper with 1:43 left to pull the Falcons within 63-61, but a free throw by Flanagan and two by Chris Jones sandwiched around a missed three-pointer by Messiah left Elizabethtown with a 66-61 lead with 36 seconds left.
Tyler Ritzman brought the Falcons within two at 66-64 with a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, but Fogel hit two free throws with 18 seconds left and Travis Mettler came up with a steal and made one foul shot with eight seconds to play to set the final score.
Jamie Yoder and Chris Yoder each scored 11 points for the Falcons, who went 10-for-24 from three-point range on the afternoon including a 6-for-10 performance in the first half. Kyle Snyder joined Reitz in double figures on the boards with 10, as Messiah finished with a slim 37-36 edge in rebounding.
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to force overtime, and went on to defeat Messiah College 69-64 in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Keith Fogel sparked the comeback for the Blue Jays by scoring all of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including the tiebreaking three-pointer with 3:44 left in overtime, for the Blue Jays (5-3 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth).
Joe Flanagan added 15 points for the Blue Jays, while Bryan Harrity chipped in with a career-high 11 points in 13 minutes off the bench and Mike Church finished with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Elizabethtown, which shot just 36.4 percent (20-for-55) as a team in the game but connected on 23-of-29 free-throw attempts overall and committed just one turnover after halftime.
Colton Reitz led the Falcons (4-3 overall, 0-2 Commonwealth) with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, but after shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field in the opening half Messiah hit just 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) after intermission.
Messiah took the lead in the game's opening minute and carried a 37-25 advantage into halftime behind 12 points from Reitz. The Falcon lead grew to 41-25 in the opening minute of the second half, but Elizabethtown whittled the deficit away and finally evened the score at 55-55 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 1:13 remaining. Reitz sank two foul shots with 55 seconds remaining to push the Falcons back ahead 57-55, but Flanagan hit a pair at the other end with 45 seconds left to retie the score at 57-57.
Fogel gave Elizabethtown its first lead of the game at 59-57 with a steal and layup with 27 seconds to play, but Chris Yoder's basket with 16 seconds to go knotted the score at 59-59. Elizabethtown had a final chance to win the game in regulation but misfired with six seconds to go, and Messiah was unable to get off a final shot as the teams went to overtime.
In the extra period, the Blue Jays scored the first four points to go up 63-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 3:44 to go and a free throw by Flanagan with 2:05 remaining. Jamie Yoder hit a jumper with 1:43 left to pull the Falcons within 63-61, but a free throw by Flanagan and two by Chris Jones sandwiched around a missed three-pointer by Messiah left Elizabethtown with a 66-61 lead with 36 seconds left.
Tyler Ritzman brought the Falcons within two at 66-64 with a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, but Fogel hit two free throws with 18 seconds left and Travis Mettler came up with a steal and made one foul shot with eight seconds to play to set the final score.
Jamie Yoder and Chris Yoder each scored 11 points for the Falcons, who went 10-for-24 from three-point range on the afternoon including a 6-for-10 performance in the first half. Kyle Snyder joined Reitz in double figures on the boards with 10, as Messiah finished with a slim 37-36 edge in rebounding.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Crusaders Shoot Past Blue Jays, 88-80 in League Opener
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Three players scored over 20 points, led by game highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds from Nick Rivera, as hot-shooting Alvernia University defeated Elizabethtown College 88-80 in the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball opener on Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Seth Cornell added 23 points and Matt Schatzmann tallied 21 points for the Crusaders (7-0 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth), who shot a blistering 65.1 percent (28-for-43) from the field in the game, including 10-for-18 from three-point range. Cornell went 4-for-8 from long range while Schatzmann and Tad Gillis each hit a trio of threes for the Crusaders.
Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (4-3 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) with 21 points to go with five steals, while Mike Church added 19 points and six rebounds. However, the Blue Jays shot just 40.3 percent (29-for-72) from the field and could not take advantage of 29 more field-goal attempts than the Crusaders.
Gillis also reached double figures for Alvernia, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half on 5-for-5 shooting while dishing out a game-high eight assists. Joe Flanagan was the third Blue Jay to score in double figures as he finished the night with 10 points in 23 minutes of action.
The teams played an even first half, with neither team leading by more than five points and the 10th and final tie coming at the end of the half at 40-40. Cornell scored 17 points to lead Alvernia in the opening half, while Fogel netted 13 points for the Blue Jays.
Elizabethtown took an early 45-42 lead in the second half, but Alvernia went on a 24-6 run over the next 11 minute to take their largest lead of the night at 66-51 with 7:55 to go. Elizabethtown trailed 75-64 with 4:54 to play, but Fogel scored six points during an 8-0 run that cut the Alvernia lead to 75-72 with 3:21 remaining.
However, the Crusaders pushed their lead back to six on a foul shot by Cornell and a layup by Rivera, and put the game away by hitting all six of their free-throw attempts in the final 36 seconds.
From the Alvernia University Website:
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Dec. 2, 2009) - A little better than two weeks ago no one knew what to expect from Alvernia University Men's Basketball.
Monday night the Crusaders (7-0, 1-0) left Thompson Gymnasium on the campus of Elizabethtown College (4-3, 0-1) with their seventh straight win, an 88-80 decision over the preseason favorite in the Commonwealth Conference, and a little better idea of who they are.
The identity of the team has emerged in senior center Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) who went 39 minutes and posted game-highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds. With Rivera patrolling the post, seasoned guards Seth Cornell (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor)--23 points--and Tad Gillis (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby)--13 points, eight assists--continued to wreck havoc on the perimeter. Wednesday night kid brother Matt Schatzmann (Paradise, Pa./Pequea Valley) grew up with a career-high 21 points and five assists.
"First off you gotta give credit to Nick," said Alvernia head coach Mike Miller through a smile in the Thompson halls. "He's worked his tail off. I've never seen a guy get stronger and improve his skills the way he has."
A year ago Alvernia opened the season with a 68-63 loss at Etown. Rivera scored two points and grabbed two boards in five minutes. He blew those numbers away on Wednesday putting up 12 points, seven boards, and five blocked shots by halftime.
Cornell was equally as effective in the opening frame scoring 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting that included 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and the Crusaders needed every bit of it. Etown held the largest lead of the half at five points, 16-11, and Blue Jay senior Chris Jones's 3 on the final possession of half forged the 10th tie of the night at 40-40 through the first 20.
"Some guards just know how to win," said Miller with a shrug speaking of Cornell and Gillis, who went 3-for-3 from the arc in the second half. "Those two are flat out competitors. I want to take them out, but if I do they're going to get mad."
Gillis rested for two minutes on Wednesday, his fifth straight game with 37 minutes or more. Cornell hasn't seen the bench outside a timeout in over a week.
Miller played two subs, senior Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and sophomore Ryan Ludwig (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), a combined total of 23 minutes. Neither attempted a shot from the floor, but they did hit 5-of-6 free throws between them.
Schatzmann went 38 minutes, the most for him since getting 27 against Immaculata.
"I had a feeling it would be a bit of a coming out party for him tonight," said Miller of Schatzmann, whose older brother Mike scored better than 900 career points in three years as a Jay.
The younger Schatzmann was consistent for the Crusaders on Wednesday. After posting seven points and three assists through the first half, he and Gillis went back-to-back on 3s twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Crusaders ran off a 24-6 run turning a three point deficit into a 15-point lead with eight minutes to play. For the night the Crusaders were 28-of-43 from the floor, a blistering 65 percent.
Schatzmann followed the second set of 3s with a layup, Gillis added his third 3 of the half, and Rivera punctuated the run with an and-one layup.
Etown went to work on the gap with another Jones 3 and junior Keith Fogel scored six of his team-high 21 during a lighting quick 8-0 run that pulled the hosts within 3 points, 75-72 with 3:21 to play.
"We didn't want to change what we were doing," said Miller when asked what he said during a timeout with the momentum having clearly jumped to the Etown bench. "Obviously we wanted to settle things down, but just continue to do what we do."
What they did was get the ball back to Rivera. After a free throw from Cornell the Crusaders dumped the ball to Rivera on successive possessions and he converted both for a six point lead with a minute to go. Gillis scored a layup in the paint and the Crusaders hit six free throws in the last 40 seconds to hold off the Jays final surge.
Mike Church added 19 points for Etown and Joe Flanagan scored 10.
The Crusaders tied the wins to start a season mark held by the face of Alvernia Basketball, the 1996-97 team that advanced to the Final Four. They go for eight Saturday in a match-up of unbeatens when Albright College comes to the Physical Education Center for the first conference doubleheader in the history of the series.
Alvernia 88, Elizabethtown 80
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Three players scored over 20 points, led by game highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds from Nick Rivera, as hot-shooting Alvernia University defeated Elizabethtown College 88-80 in the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball opener on Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Seth Cornell added 23 points and Matt Schatzmann tallied 21 points for the Crusaders (7-0 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth), who shot a blistering 65.1 percent (28-for-43) from the field in the game, including 10-for-18 from three-point range. Cornell went 4-for-8 from long range while Schatzmann and Tad Gillis each hit a trio of threes for the Crusaders.
Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (4-3 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) with 21 points to go with five steals, while Mike Church added 19 points and six rebounds. However, the Blue Jays shot just 40.3 percent (29-for-72) from the field and could not take advantage of 29 more field-goal attempts than the Crusaders.
Gillis also reached double figures for Alvernia, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half on 5-for-5 shooting while dishing out a game-high eight assists. Joe Flanagan was the third Blue Jay to score in double figures as he finished the night with 10 points in 23 minutes of action.
The teams played an even first half, with neither team leading by more than five points and the 10th and final tie coming at the end of the half at 40-40. Cornell scored 17 points to lead Alvernia in the opening half, while Fogel netted 13 points for the Blue Jays.
Elizabethtown took an early 45-42 lead in the second half, but Alvernia went on a 24-6 run over the next 11 minute to take their largest lead of the night at 66-51 with 7:55 to go. Elizabethtown trailed 75-64 with 4:54 to play, but Fogel scored six points during an 8-0 run that cut the Alvernia lead to 75-72 with 3:21 remaining.
However, the Crusaders pushed their lead back to six on a foul shot by Cornell and a layup by Rivera, and put the game away by hitting all six of their free-throw attempts in the final 36 seconds.
From the Alvernia University Website:
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Dec. 2, 2009) - A little better than two weeks ago no one knew what to expect from Alvernia University Men's Basketball.
Monday night the Crusaders (7-0, 1-0) left Thompson Gymnasium on the campus of Elizabethtown College (4-3, 0-1) with their seventh straight win, an 88-80 decision over the preseason favorite in the Commonwealth Conference, and a little better idea of who they are.
The identity of the team has emerged in senior center Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) who went 39 minutes and posted game-highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds. With Rivera patrolling the post, seasoned guards Seth Cornell (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor)--23 points--and Tad Gillis (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby)--13 points, eight assists--continued to wreck havoc on the perimeter. Wednesday night kid brother Matt Schatzmann (Paradise, Pa./Pequea Valley) grew up with a career-high 21 points and five assists.
"First off you gotta give credit to Nick," said Alvernia head coach Mike Miller through a smile in the Thompson halls. "He's worked his tail off. I've never seen a guy get stronger and improve his skills the way he has."
A year ago Alvernia opened the season with a 68-63 loss at Etown. Rivera scored two points and grabbed two boards in five minutes. He blew those numbers away on Wednesday putting up 12 points, seven boards, and five blocked shots by halftime.
Cornell was equally as effective in the opening frame scoring 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting that included 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and the Crusaders needed every bit of it. Etown held the largest lead of the half at five points, 16-11, and Blue Jay senior Chris Jones's 3 on the final possession of half forged the 10th tie of the night at 40-40 through the first 20.
"Some guards just know how to win," said Miller with a shrug speaking of Cornell and Gillis, who went 3-for-3 from the arc in the second half. "Those two are flat out competitors. I want to take them out, but if I do they're going to get mad."
Gillis rested for two minutes on Wednesday, his fifth straight game with 37 minutes or more. Cornell hasn't seen the bench outside a timeout in over a week.
Miller played two subs, senior Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and sophomore Ryan Ludwig (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), a combined total of 23 minutes. Neither attempted a shot from the floor, but they did hit 5-of-6 free throws between them.
Schatzmann went 38 minutes, the most for him since getting 27 against Immaculata.
"I had a feeling it would be a bit of a coming out party for him tonight," said Miller of Schatzmann, whose older brother Mike scored better than 900 career points in three years as a Jay.
The younger Schatzmann was consistent for the Crusaders on Wednesday. After posting seven points and three assists through the first half, he and Gillis went back-to-back on 3s twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Crusaders ran off a 24-6 run turning a three point deficit into a 15-point lead with eight minutes to play. For the night the Crusaders were 28-of-43 from the floor, a blistering 65 percent.
Schatzmann followed the second set of 3s with a layup, Gillis added his third 3 of the half, and Rivera punctuated the run with an and-one layup.
Etown went to work on the gap with another Jones 3 and junior Keith Fogel scored six of his team-high 21 during a lighting quick 8-0 run that pulled the hosts within 3 points, 75-72 with 3:21 to play.
"We didn't want to change what we were doing," said Miller when asked what he said during a timeout with the momentum having clearly jumped to the Etown bench. "Obviously we wanted to settle things down, but just continue to do what we do."
What they did was get the ball back to Rivera. After a free throw from Cornell the Crusaders dumped the ball to Rivera on successive possessions and he converted both for a six point lead with a minute to go. Gillis scored a layup in the paint and the Crusaders hit six free throws in the last 40 seconds to hold off the Jays final surge.
Mike Church added 19 points for Etown and Joe Flanagan scored 10.
The Crusaders tied the wins to start a season mark held by the face of Alvernia Basketball, the 1996-97 team that advanced to the Final Four. They go for eight Saturday in a match-up of unbeatens when Albright College comes to the Physical Education Center for the first conference doubleheader in the history of the series.
Alvernia 88, Elizabethtown 80
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Blue Jays Cruise Past Knights, 79-56
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ASTON, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan scored a game-high 17 points and matched his career high with eight rebounds as Elizabethtown College rolled to a 79-56 victory over Neumann University in men's basketball action on Monday night.
The Blue Jays (4-2 overall) shot 51.7 percent (30-for-58) from the field and 7-for-18 from three-point range while leading from start to finish against the Knights (1-2 overall).
Mike Church added nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal connected on all four of his field-goal attempts and finished with eight points for Elizabethtown. All 16 players on the Blue Jay roster saw action in the game, with 14 of them scoring at least one point.
Marquise Boggs led Neumann with 13 points while Na'Sheed Linton added 10 points and five assists, but the Knights shot a paltry 29.5 percent (18-for-61) from the field overall and 2-for-22 from three-point range while being outrebounded 50-32 by the Blue Jays.
Flanagan scored five of the Blue Jays' first 10 points, helping Elizabethtown to a 10-4 lead after 4 1/2 minutes of play. Three-pointers by Chris Jones and Brady Haughney keyed an 8-0 run that pushed the Blue Jays ahead 22-10 with 9:41 left in the first half.
The Blue Jays led 40-30 at halftime as Flanagan led the way with nine points and six rebounds, while Jones added seven points off the Elizabethtown bench. Boggs paced the Knights with 11 points, but Neumann shot 40 percent (12-for-30) from the field while Elizabethtown connected on 50 percent (16-for-32) in the opening half.
In the second half, the Blue Jay defense clamped down on the Knights, holding Neumann without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch midway through the half while expanding their lead to 60-41 with 8:04 remaining. The Knights finished at 19.4 percent (6-for-31) from the field in the second half as a team, while hitting just one of their 13 three-point attempts.
From the Neumann University Website:
Men's Basketball Drops Game to Elizabethtown
Box Score
ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College, 79-56, Monday evening in non-conference action.
Marquise Boggs led the Knights with 13 points. Na’Sheed Linton added 10 points and Sean Armstrong netted nine.
Joe Flanagan led the Blue Jays with 17 points. Mike Church added nine points.
Elizabethtown opened the scoring with a three-pointer by Flanagan. Points were scarce in the beginning of the game and four minutes in the Blue Jays led 8-4. EC started to connect on its shots and increased its lead, building a 12 point lead, 22-10, with 9:41 left in the first half. The Blue Jays kept a 10 point advantage throughout the rest of the half and took a 40-30 lead into the break.
Elizabethtown kept the pressure on and built its lead up to as many as 27 in the second half.
Neumann (1-2) will travel to Rosemont on Thursday to begin conference play. The men will play in the second game of the doubleheader, beginning at 8 p.m.
Box score
ASTON, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan scored a game-high 17 points and matched his career high with eight rebounds as Elizabethtown College rolled to a 79-56 victory over Neumann University in men's basketball action on Monday night.
The Blue Jays (4-2 overall) shot 51.7 percent (30-for-58) from the field and 7-for-18 from three-point range while leading from start to finish against the Knights (1-2 overall).
Mike Church added nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal connected on all four of his field-goal attempts and finished with eight points for Elizabethtown. All 16 players on the Blue Jay roster saw action in the game, with 14 of them scoring at least one point.
Marquise Boggs led Neumann with 13 points while Na'Sheed Linton added 10 points and five assists, but the Knights shot a paltry 29.5 percent (18-for-61) from the field overall and 2-for-22 from three-point range while being outrebounded 50-32 by the Blue Jays.
Flanagan scored five of the Blue Jays' first 10 points, helping Elizabethtown to a 10-4 lead after 4 1/2 minutes of play. Three-pointers by Chris Jones and Brady Haughney keyed an 8-0 run that pushed the Blue Jays ahead 22-10 with 9:41 left in the first half.
The Blue Jays led 40-30 at halftime as Flanagan led the way with nine points and six rebounds, while Jones added seven points off the Elizabethtown bench. Boggs paced the Knights with 11 points, but Neumann shot 40 percent (12-for-30) from the field while Elizabethtown connected on 50 percent (16-for-32) in the opening half.
In the second half, the Blue Jay defense clamped down on the Knights, holding Neumann without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch midway through the half while expanding their lead to 60-41 with 8:04 remaining. The Knights finished at 19.4 percent (6-for-31) from the field in the second half as a team, while hitting just one of their 13 three-point attempts.
From the Neumann University Website:
Men's Basketball Drops Game to Elizabethtown
Box Score
ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College, 79-56, Monday evening in non-conference action.
Marquise Boggs led the Knights with 13 points. Na’Sheed Linton added 10 points and Sean Armstrong netted nine.
Joe Flanagan led the Blue Jays with 17 points. Mike Church added nine points.
Elizabethtown opened the scoring with a three-pointer by Flanagan. Points were scarce in the beginning of the game and four minutes in the Blue Jays led 8-4. EC started to connect on its shots and increased its lead, building a 12 point lead, 22-10, with 9:41 left in the first half. The Blue Jays kept a 10 point advantage throughout the rest of the half and took a 40-30 lead into the break.
Elizabethtown kept the pressure on and built its lead up to as many as 27 in the second half.
Neumann (1-2) will travel to Rosemont on Thursday to begin conference play. The men will play in the second game of the doubleheader, beginning at 8 p.m.
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