February 25, 2025
Moravian Falls in Overtime at Susquehanna in Landmark Conference Tournament First Round
SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- The fifth seeded Moravian University men’s basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final six and a half minutes of the second half to force overtime before falling to fourth seed and host Susquehanna University, 100-90 in overtime, in the Landmark Conference First Round Tuesday evening.
SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- The fifth seeded Moravian University men's basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final six and a half minutes of the second half to force overtime before falling to fourth seed and host Susquehanna University, 100-90 in overtime, in the Landmark Conference First Round Tuesday evening.
How It Happened
- The Greyhounds opened the scoring with a driving lay-up from junior forward Marquis Ratcliff and a jumper by junior guard Chad Kratzer for an early 4-0 edge. The teams traded baskets before the Blue & Grey built a 22-16 lead on a three-pointer from senior guard/forward Michael Leonardo at the 12:48 mark, and the Hounds were up 25-20 on a Ratcliff jumper with 10:48 on the clock
- The River Hawks countered with a 10-2 run to move ahead 30-27 before graduate student guard Alex Dietz drained a three-pointer to knot the score at 30-30. Susquehanna put together a 12-2 run to lead 42-32, and the River Hawks heled a 46-36 edge with 2:07 left in the first half. Leonardo hit a three-pointer and junior guard Porter Kelly added a lay-up as Moravian cut the deficit to 46-41 at the intermission
- Early in the second half, the Greyhounds pulled within three points at 50-47 on a three-pointer from Kratzer at the 17:32. Susquehanna answered again and pushed out to a 61-47 edge with 14:27 to play. The River Hawks still had a 14-point edge, 64-50, a minute later before the Hounds scored the next seven points to close within 64-57 on a lay-up by Leonardo
- Susquehanna made the advantage 13 points again, and the River Hawks were up 72-60 with 6:41 to go in regulation. Moravian slowly closed the gap and tied the game at 79-79 with 1:27 remaining on a jumper from Kratzer. The Blue & Grey knotted the game for the sixth time at 82-82 with 7.5 seconds left as Kratzer sank a free throw to force overtime
- The River Hawks controlled the overtime session by making all five of their field goal attempts and seven free throws while the Hounds were just 1-of-9 in the extra five minutes while making six free throws
- Moravian was making its first postseason appearance since 2020 in the contest
Inside the Numbers
- Moravian five players in double figures led by Kratzer, who netted 23 points to go with nine rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocked shots
- Kelly finished with 21 points, five boards and three assists while Dietz tossed in 14 points to go with two assists as he finished his career 25th in program history with 1,021 points and third all-time with 165 made three-pointers
- Ratcliff contributed 13 points and six rebounds while Leonardo had ten points and a career-high 13 rebounds for his seventh career double-double. Leonardo also had seven assists to finish his career seventh in school history with 302 assists and 14th all-time with 524 rebounds
- Freshman forward Brave Haugh added four points and three rebounds while sophomore guard Taylor Perlmutter had three points, four boards and a pair of assists and junior forward Liam Cummiskey added two points, two rebounds and two assists
- The Hounds shot 32-of-76 from the field, 11-for-41 on three-pointers and 15-for-21 at the foul line
- The Blue & Grey did have a 47-39 advantage on the boards including 19-11 on the offensive glass
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Season Complete
