2013-14 Susquehanna Tourney Team Titlte
King's won its third straight team title at the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tourney

King's Men's Basketball Rallies to Win Susquehanna Title as Hammonds Nets 26 to Earn MVP Honors

11/23/2013 6:27:00 PM

Box Score
NOVEMBER 23, 2013

KING'S MEN WIN SUSQUEHANNA TOURNEY IN 73-69 COMEBACK VICTORY

Kyle Hammonds
SELINSGROVE -- Kyle Hammonds scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and eh King's College men's basketball team overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to rally past host Susquehanna University 73-69 in the finals of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament Saturday in Selinsgrove.

With the win, King's improved to 4-0 on the year while winning the Pepsi/Weiss markets tourney for the third straight year. Susquehanna, meanwhile, slipped to 2-1 on the season.

The Crusaders came flying out of the gates and built a quick 10-0 lead just 3:18 into the game after Harley Sellinger exploded for eight of Susquehanna's points in the early run.  The Monarchs missed their first eight shots until Tim O'Shea scored on an inside basket with 15:07 remaining in the opening stanza. 

After Christian Skrepenak made one-of-two free throws to ring the score to 12-3 at the 14:30 mark, the Crusaders used five straight points by Steven Weidlich to push the lead to 17-3. With the Monarchs continuing to struggle offensively, Susquehanna extended the lead to 17 points when a Matt McGuigan three-pointer pushed the Crusader advantage to 24-7 with 10:51 remaining in the first half.

King's battled back, however, and used a 20-3 run to tie the score at 27-27 following back-to-back three-pointers from Hammonds, one-of-two free throws by Dan Rutecki, and a pair of charity tosses from Joe Caffrey with 3:32 on the clock.

The Crusaders countered with a 7-2 surge to take a 34-29 lead with 0:05 on a lay-up by Josh Miller but King's used a clutch three-pointer by Caffrey at the buzzer to bring the Monarchs to within 34-32 at the break.

The second half started much like the first as Susquehanna came out of the locker room and put together a 12-3 run to build a 46-35 lead after another Weidlich three-pointer. The Monarchs would again not panic and patiently fought back, using a 23-10 spurt on the strength of five consecutive three-pointers, four straight coming from Hammonds and the fifth by Caffrey as the Monarchs took a 58-56 lead with 11:10 left in the contest. Dan Rutecki would later convert a traditional three-point play to extend the King's advantage to 64-58 with 5:57 to go.

But Susquehanna countered with a 10-2 run of its own to take a 68-66 with 1:25 on the clock, the Monarchs had one last surge left to pull out the victory.

A three-pointer by Caffrey, two foul shots by Hammonds gave the Monarchs a 71-68 lead with 0:23 to play. With a foul to give, King's did not allow the Crusaders an opportunity for a three-point shot by putting Brandon Hedley on the line with 0:02 left. Hedley made the first shot but missed the second intentionally. The strategy was foiled when King's Derek Wilkens rebounded and was immediately fouled. The Monarchs rookie made both free throws with 0:01 left to set the final score to 73-69.

Hammonds earned most valuable player honors after making 8-of-16 from the field, including a career best seven three-pointers on 10 attempts.  Caffrey added 18 points with four three-pointers and four assists while Dan Rutecki added 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.

Weidlich led Susquehanna with 22 points while Sellinger tallied 18 points, both earning a place on the all-tournament squad. Hedley aided the Crusader cause with 16 points and 10 assists.

King's will be idle until Tuesday when the Monarchs travel to Drew University for a 7:00 p.m. matchup


All-Tournament Team
Trinity: #21 Alexander Conaway
Wilkes-Barre: #13 Kenny Randall
SU: #24 Steven Weidlich, #52 Harley Sellinger
King's: #34 Dan Rutecki, #22 Kyle Hammonds (MVP)

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