ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's basketball team dropped a 77-68 decision to Susquehanna University on Saturday afternoon in the final game before the holidays.
 
Jalen Vaughns again led the Knights with 25 points. TJ Lewis tallied 14 points. Justin Smith netted 12 points while Tony James added 10. KJ Speller had a team high seven rebounds. Vaughns and James each grabbed six.
 
Down 5-2 early, James hit three consecutive jumpers as part of eight straight points for the Knights and a 10-5 edge with 14:34 on the clock.  Neither team would score for over three minutes until another layup by Vaughns broke the scoreless drought. The River Hawks then went on a 14-2 run, including four consecutive three-pointers, to take a 19-14 lead with just over eight minutes left in the first half.
 
With 5:26 remaining, Susquehanna built a 10-point lead, 26-16. Neumann ended the half on a 15-6 run to pull within one, 32-31, heading into the break.
 
James connected on the first basket of the second half to give Neumann a 33-32 lead. That would lead to nine read changes and five tied scores over the first 13 minutes of the half. With 3:31 remaining in regulation, the River Hawks held a slight 64-63 edge before going on a 9-2 run for a 73-65 lead with just over a minute left on the clock. The Knights were not able to cut into lead in the final minute and fell 77-68.
 
Neumann (6-4) is now off until after Christmas when it will travel to the Al Senavitis Memorial Holiday Tournament at DeSales. The Knights will face the Bulldogs on the first day. Tip-off slated for 6:00 PM.