Moravian (6-12 overall, 4-3 Commonwealth Conference) scored the first bucket of the game but the Crusaders would lead 4-3 before Moravian took the lead for an eight minute stretch. The Greyhounds would lead by as many as five points at 17-12 but Susquehanna responded to take a 20-19 lead with 9:05 remaining in the first half. The teams would trade the lead back-and-forth the rest of the half with neither team taking more than a three-point lead.
Susquehanna (3-15, 0-8 Commonwealth Conference) held a slim 37-34 lead at the intermission after shooting 40.6 percent (13 of 32) from the floor with a six of 13 performance behind the three-point line and a five of seven showing at the charity stripe. Moravian, which committed 12 first half turnovers to Susquehanna's nine, made ten of 24 field goal attempts (41.7 percent) in the first half with four three-pointers and a ten for 13 performance at the foul line.
In the second half, Susquehanna would lead 44-40 with 17:14 remaining before the Greyhounds tied the contest at 44-44. The game was also tied at 46-46 with 15:11 to go but a 6-0 Susquehanna run gave the Crusaders at 52-46 lead. Moravian answered with a 7-0 run to take a 53-52 lead at the 11:28 mark but Susquehanna came right back for a 60-55 lead with 9:04 remaining. The Greyhounds tied the game again at 62-62 with 6:50 remaining.
Susquehanna took its final lead of 67-64 with 4:40 left in the game while Moravian would take the lead for good on a lay-up by junior forward Steve Wenderfer at 3:51, giving the Greyhounds a 68-67 lead. Susquehanna shot 63.6 percent (14 of 22) from the floor in the second half with five three-pointers, but the Crusaders were just three of five from the foul line after the intermission. In contrast, the Greyhounds connected on 13 of 15 second half free throws (86.7 percent) while shooting 41.9 percent (13 of 31) from the floor with two three-pointers.
Senior forward Brandon Zaleski led the Greyhounds in scoring with a game high 24 points including a 12-for-12 performance at the foul line. Zaleski also had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year and first since December 11th. Wenderfer was the only other Greyhound in double figures with 15 points to go with five rebounds and two steals.
Freshman guard Justin Chestnut netted nine points for Moravian while adding four rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Ed Reid tossed in seven points in the victory while junior forward Zach Zsilavecz, sophomore guard Michael Clemente and freshman guard Ryan Miller each had five points. Zsilavecz added five rebounds while Miller had four rebounds and four assists in the win.
Mike Malko led Susquehanna with 22 points to go with three rebounds while Bubba Mills had a double-double for the Crusaders with 12 points and ten rebounds. Brad Okonak added ten points off the bench for Susquehanna while Pat Williams netted eight points for the Crusaders.
Moravian will return to action on Wednesday, February 2nd in a Commonwealth Conference game at Widener University beginning at 8:00 p.m. while the Crusaders return home to host Elizabethtown College on February 2nd.
Newspaper Box Score Susquehanna Univ. vs Moravian College 1/29/05 4:00 PM at Johnston Hall, Bethlehem, PA At Johnston Hall, Bethlehem, PA MORAVIAN COLLEGE 75, SUSQUEHANNA UNIV. 73 SUSQUEHANNA UNIV. (3-15, 0-8 Comm.) Mike Malko 7-8 4-4 22; Bubba Mills 5-9 1-4 12; Brad Okonak 4-8 0-0 10; Pat Williams 3-3 1-2 8; T.J. Parry 2-8 2-2 6; Chad Lauer 2-6 0-0 6; Rob Dombroski 2-7 0-0 5; Matt Effler 2-3 0-0 4; Brian Wimmer 0-1 0-0 0; Moose Marshall 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 8-12 73. MORAVIAN COLLEGE (6-12, 4-3 Comm.) Brandon Zaleski 6-13 12-12 24; Steve Wenderfer 5-8 5-9 15; Justin Chestnut 2-6 4-4 9; Ed Reid 2-5 2-2 7; Michael Clemente 2-4 0-0 5; Zach Zsilavecz 2-6 0-0 5; Ryan Miller 2-5 0-0 5; Chris Betley 1-5 0-0 3; Tyler Tripucka 1-1 0-1 2; Matt Devlin 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 23-28 75. Susquehanna Univ.............. 37 36 - 73 Moravian College.............. 34 41 - 75 3-point goals-Susquehanna Univ. 11-22 (Mike Malko 4-5; Chad Lauer 2-3; Brad Okonak 2-4; Bubba Mills 1-2; Pat Williams 1-1; Rob Dombroski 1-3; Brian Wimmer 0-1; Moose Marshall 0-1; T.J. Parry 0-2), Moravian College 6-26 (Zach Zsilavecz 1-5; Michael Clemente 1-3; Ed Reid 1-3; Justin Chestnut 1-4; Chris Betley 1-5; Ryan Miller 1-4; Matt Devlin 0-1; Steve Wenderfer 0-1). Fouled out--Susquehanna Univ.-None, Moravian College-None. Rebounds-Susquehanna Univ. 27 (Bubba Mills 10), Moravian College 39 (Brandon Zaleski 13). Assists-Susquehanna Univ. 14 (Chad Lauer 4), Moravian College 12 (Ryan Miller 4). Total fouls-Susquehanna Univ. 21, Moravian College 17. A-425