The Elizabethtown College men’s basketball team followed a last-second victory against Stevenson University last Wednesday with a loss at home to Lycoming College on Saturday.
At one point in the first half of Wednesday’s home game against Stevenson, the Blue Jays trailed the Mustangs by 10 points, but they finished out the half on a 15-0 run, taking the lead, 28-23 heading into halftime. Etown was up by five points with three minutes remaining in the game, but Stevenson fought back and took the lead with a layup with only six seconds remaining. Junior guard Phil Wenger took the ball down the court and threw up a desperate three-point shot that fell through the net with three seconds left to give the Blue Jays a two-point lead and eventual 65-63 upset win over Mustangs, who sat at second place in the MAC Commonwealth Conference.
The Blue Jays looked to follow that win with another against Lycoming on Saturday. Etown played well in the first half but could not find the same level of play in the second half and lost to the Warriors 69-59, falling to an overall 7-10 record, 4-6 in MAC conference play.
The Blue Jays shot well in the first half, making 39 percent of their shots from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Senior Joe Schwalm drained three three-point shots in the first half, two of which he scored in the first two minutes of the game.
Senior Andrew Mantz added a layup and another point at the foul line to give Etown a 9-0 lead three and a half minutes into the game.
The Blue Jays stretched their lead to double digits with six minutes to go in the first half when senior Ryan Borzager hit a three and junior Lee Eckert added two layups and a jumper. Schwalm hit his third three-pointer of the half with 4:54 left to go in the half, and Etown had an 11-point advantage. Lycoming turned up the heat, however, when it went on a 13-2 run, closing the gap and tying the game at 28-28 with a minute left in the half. Junior Tyler Simpkiss hit a three with eight seconds to go, and the Blue Jays finished the half on top 33-30.
The second half was a different story for the Blue Jays. Shooting troubles plagued the team as it was unable to keep up with the pace Lycoming set. Etown made only seven of 41 attempted shots in the second half, a 17 percent field goal percentage. The Jays had only one three-pointer in the second half. Borzager hit a three, and sophomore Tommy James hit two foul shots to bring the Blue Jays within seven points with seven and a half minutes to go, but the fouls began to pile up and Etown could not pull close enough to contest the result. Eckert led the Blue Jays with 11 points, and first-year Jake Sweger led the team in rebounds with eight.
“We didn’t come out the way we needed to in the second half and we were really disappointed,” Borzager said.
Etown fell to yet another conference rival when it lost to Messiah College last night with a score of 80-65. Etown had four players in double figures, but it wasn’t enough as the Falcons were able to pull away in the second half to secure the victory.
The Blue Jays will head to Annville to take on the Lebanon Valley College Flying Dutchmen this Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
