You might be tempted to think that a game ending with one team scoring 90 points was all about offense.
If you though that way about Lycoming's contest against Arcadia Saturday, you'd be wrong.
The Warriors downed Commonwealth Conference rival Arcadia, 90-72 at Lamade Gymnasium, but it was all about the defense as Lycoming forced 17 turnovers and blocked a season-high eight shots in the win.
"The guys played very well defensively," Lycoming coach Guy Rancourt said. "They locked on to their defensive assignments and did what they were supposed to do. I was very happy with what they did."
Michael Rudy led the way with four of the team's eight blocks. He also chipped in four points, two assists and five rebounds as Lycoming's bench held a 29-25 scoring edge over Arcadia (4-3, 2-1).
The Warriors' (7-1, 4-0) bench has been a big part of their success and have only been outscored once on the season.
"We have a deep bench and we know that when we get in we have to do what we can," Rudy said. "We can fill each position with two or three players. We know we have to be ready when we go in."
Chris Foreman, who finished with 11 points for his fifth double-digit scoring performance in eight games, opened the contest with a trey that sparked a 23-6 run for Lycoming. Anthony Martin highlighted the run, which stretched over the opening 10 minutes, with 19 first-half points. Martin went on to finish with a career-high 28 points, knocking down 12 of 20 attempted shots.
"It's great having a player like Anthony," Rudy said. "He's a great teammate and great scorer. We know when we're down we can go to him and get a bucket. He had a great game."
After a steal at mid-court by Jerald Williams, Martin converted a layup from a lob to the basket. Williams was fouled during the transition basket and completed the three-point play for a 16-4 Lycoming lead. Martin scored on the Warriors next possession for five consecutive points. Martin also helped the Warriors finish with a season-high five blocks in the first half. Along with Rudy, Martin was credited with two of the blocks.
"In the last couple games the defensive side has decided the game," Rancourt said. "I hope we are getting better defensively. It's hard sometimes when it turns out one-sided at the end."
As good as the defense was, the offense was just as good. Lycoming shot 54.5 percent from the field, knocking down 36-66 attempts. The Warriors also converted 15 of 22 free throws.
"Our speed and the way we play it gives us an advantage," Foreman said. "Arcadia plays the same style as us and we knew it was going to be pretty even. We just had to tough it out."
Foreman's 3-pointer to open the game gave Lycoming a lead it held for the entire contest. And despite some gutty efforts from players like Aaron Lee-Webb, who scored a team-high 13 points, Lycoming was able to weather most storms to keep at least a six-point cushion.
Jerald Williams, who scored seven points to go with five steals, finished with 14 assists. It gives him 653 for his career, which is just 15 shy of the MAC conference record of 668.
ARCADIA (4-3, 2-2 CC)
Aaron Lee-Webb 4-8 4-6 13; Travis Saltus 5-14 2-2 12; Joseph Brown 5-10 1-2 12; John Landro 3-6 0-0 8; Jose Figueroa 3-6 1-3 7; Colin McCarthy 1-5 4-4 6; Khalief Trawick 1-4 3-4 5; Malcolm Still 1-7 2-2 4; Jermaine Clark 1-3 0-0 2; Rashon Brock 1-5 0-0 2; Michael Fitzpatrick 0-2 1-2 1; Alex Cohen 0-0 0-0 0; Khalil Curtis 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 25-71 18-27 72
LYCOMING (7-1, 4-0 CC)
Anthony Martin 12-20 4-6 28; Chris Foreman 5-12 0-1 11; Kevin Anthony 5-9 0-0 10; Ihsaan Davis 3-5 4-4 10; Patrick Dougher 3-4 0-0 8; Jerald Williams 3-3 1-2 7; William Wingate 0-2 5-7 5; Justin Miller 2-2 1-2 5; Michael Rudy 2-5 0-0 4; Adam Francis 1-1 0-0 2; Chido Enweze 0-2 0-0 0; Rob Pillow IV 0-0 0-0 0; John Monkam 0-0 0-0 0; Kevin Laurence El 0-0 0-0 0; Eric Ishman 0-1 0-0 0; Armani Taylor 0-0 0-0 0; John Ryan Wolff 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-66 15-22 90.
Halftime: Lycoming, 44-32. 3-point goals--Arcadia 4-18 (Landro 2-4; Brown 1-2; Lee-Webb 1-2; McCarthy 0-3; Trawick 0-1; Still 0-3; Brock 0-1; Saltus 0-2), Lycoming 3-14 (Dougher 2-2; Foreman 1-5; Davis 0-2; Rudy 0-2; Martin 0-3). Fouled out--Trawick. Rebounds--Arcadia 43 (Brown 8), Lycoming 43 (Anthony 11). Assists--Arcadia 14 (Lee-Webb 5), Lycoming 28 (Williams 14). Total fouls--Arcadia 20, Lycoming 26. Technical fouls--None. A-367
