Anderson leads SU in tip-off tourney

SELINSGROVE — Billy Anderson doesn’t look like a big man who’s going to shoot 3-pointers.

Even in an era where more and more post players can shoot the long ball, people look at Anderson and his 6-foot-8, 225 pound frame and assume that he’ll be living underneath the basket.

Not really. Well, at least not anymore. The junior center drilled a pair of triples and scored a team-leading 20 points off the bench to lead the River Hawks to a 73-62 win over King’s Friday night in the semifinals of SU’s annual tip-off tournament at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.

The River Hawks (2-0) will look to stay perfect on the young season when they host Marymount in the tournament’s championship game today at 3 p.m. at Houts Gymnasium.

“He’s a talented scorer,” SU coach Frank Marcinek said of Anderson. “Last season, there were many times in late-game situations (that) he put us on his back.”

Anderson had knocked down just four shots from beyond the arc in his collegiate career prior to Friday. Like Susquehanna’s other post players, shooting was a large point of emphasis in the off season.

“I worked on (shooting) harder,” Anderson said. “We work hard in practice and just make sure we’re ready to go out there.

After the Monarchs (1-1) built an early lead, the River Hawks went on a 22-10 run in the final seven minutes of the first half that was encapsulated by a buzzer-beating triple from Anderson that put SU up 35-32 going into the half.

“That was a good run,” Anderson said. “It’s very important for us to go on those types of runs.”

Poor shooting put the River Hawks in the early hole, along with some poor transition defense.

“We were so disjointed,” Marcinek said. “We had an advantage in the post and we just wanted to come down and launch quick threes. We didn’t operate with any sense of purpose.”

Eventually, the intensity of Susquehanna’s full-court press broke down and started to tire down the Monarchs. King’s opened up the second half on a 7-0 run, but the River Hawks slugged back with a 15-4 run of their own.

“We have some depth,” Marcinek said. “We can wear people down as the game wears on.”

The River Hawks haven’t run the press very much in recent years, save for late-game situations. The speed and energy of this season’s guard-heavy roster allows Marcinek to change the system up.

“I thought our effort on the press was pretty good,” Marcinek said. “I thought the press bothered them.”

During the second-half run, the River Hawks knocked down three triples and were able to draw fouls when they moved the ball inside.

“We knew that we were going to get going,” Anderson said. “When we did, it felt good. We just trust each other and keep making the right plays.”

Including Anderson, all three of SU’s leading scorers came off the bench. Allen Cieslak scored a career-high 12 points including 4 3-pointers while Cooper Haberern also added 9 points. Garrett Burys led the Monarchs with 15 points.

SUSQUEHANNA 73, KING'S 62

Susquehanna (2-0) 73

Billy Anderson 9-14 0-0 20; Allen Cieslak 4-7 0-0 12; Cooper Haberern 3-7 0-0 9; Brandon Lavitt 4-8 0-0 8; Marcus Mitchell 3-7 0-0 8; Audric Washington 1-2 2-2 4; Steven Ressler 1-8 2-2 4; Michael Pirone 1-4 2-2 4; Jackson Van Wagener 1-7 0-0 2; Emezie Egeonu 1-3 0-0 2; Luke Fryer 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-69 6-6 73.

King’s (1-1) 62

Garrett Burys 7-15 0-0 15; Chris Patton 4-11 4-4 13; Jake Karnish 5-9 2-3 12; Ray Gooley 2-4 0-0 5; Sean Forrest 2-5 0-0 5; Eamonn Walsh 1-9 2-4 4; Ben Rodner-Tims 2-5 0-0 4; Devin Kimmick 1-2 1-2 4. Totals 24-60 9-13 62.

Halftime: Susquehanna, 35-32. 3-Point Goals: Susquehanna 11-32 (Cieslak 4-6; Haberern 3-7; Anderson 2-2; Mitchell 2-4; Lavitt 0-1; Pirone 0-2; Fryer 0-2; Van Wagener 0-3; Ressler 0-5); King’s 5-16 (Burys 1-1; Forrest 1-2; Kimmick 1-2; Gooley 1-3; Patton 1-3; Rodner-Tims 0-1; Walsh 0-2; Karnish 0-2). Rebounds: Susquehanna 40 (Van Wagener 10); King's 38 (Karnish 8); Assists: Susquehanna 14 (Van Wagener and Lavitt 4 each); King’s 16 (Karnish 5); Steals: Susquehanna 9 (Van Wagener 3); King’s 5 (Patton 3); Turnovers: Susquehanna 13, King's 15; Total Fouls: Susquehanna 17, King’s 10. Fouled Out: none.