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COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Seconds count E-town men rally after halftime to down LBC BY JOEL SCHREINER, Correspondent
The hot hands of Joe Schwalm and Will Schlosser were just enough to bail out the Blue Jays.
The duo combined for 31 second-half points Monday night at Thompson Gym, leading Elizabethtown to a 61-57 nonconference win over Lancaster Bible College.
Schwalm's 1-for-7 showing in the first half was part of a dismal 9-for-30 shooting clip as a team, but he was on target in the second half, hitting 6 of 9 after the break.
"First half was a little frustrating, but then I made the first couple baskets in the second half and felt real comfortable out there," said Schwalm, who made four of his six attempts from long range in the second half. "In the second half we really worked to create more shots for other people."
Schwalm posted 16 of his game-high 18 points after the break as Schlosser added 15 of his 17 for the Jays (7-12), who have won two straight for only the second time this season.
"We won the game and we deserved to win the game," Elizabethtown coach Bob Schlosser said. "We didn't play real well in the first half, but we did what we had to do in the second half."
The Chargers, who started the season 0-10, have won only two of their 19 games, but this was their seventh loss by 10 points or less.
"That's exactly how our season has gone," first-year LBC coach Marshall Tague said. "At some point in time we have to grow up and make those big plays when we need them."
Playing away from home for the sixth time in their last seven games, the Chargers used an 8-0 run late in the opening half to take a 29-21 lead into the break.
"You can't ask for more than a chance and we had our chance," Tague said. "I'm happy we're there, but it's definitely frustrating not to come out on the other end."
LBC grabbed its largest lead, 44-35, with 11:14 to go on a 3-pointer by Keith Keltner (eight points). Schwalm and Schlosser coupled to score the next 16 points for the Jays who closed the gap to 53-51 with 6:18 left.
Neither team scored for the next 2:33 until Andrew Mantz tied it with a jumper. LBC momentarily regained a one-point lead on a C.J. Dunston free throw, but the Jays grabbed the edge for good (56-54) on a Schwalm trey with 3:11 left.
"I knew we were working really hard and were still in the game," Schwalm said. "It was at that critical point where do we run out of gas or keep pushing and squeak this one out?"
An overall 11-1 run put the Jays ahead 59-54 with 1:09 to play, but the Chargers cut it to 59-57 and had a chance to tie it, only to see a shot by Dan Karl (team-high 16 points) go off the mark with a second to go.
"It goes in the win column," Bob Schlosser said. "We had a lot of games this season where we played pretty well and it went in the loss column. We found a way to win the game."
"In the second half we really worked to create more shots for other people."
Joe Schwalm
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