CLEVELAND, OH - SUNY Geneseo senior forward Gordon Lyons led the Knights with 28 points, one shy of his career-high, 15 rebounds and five assists but it was Wilmington (Ohio) taking the 83-81 victory in the first day of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, Friday night.

"I thought we turned the ball over too much in the first half and gave them too many easy looks," said head coach Steve Minton. "We took much better care of the ball in the second half, but it was a turnover at the end that that cost us. Gordon really stepped up and did a nice job establishing himself inside and on the boards. "

Tied at 10-10 with 15:26 remaining in the first half, Geneseo went on a 11-0 run capped by a three-pointer by first-year guard Kevin Crockett to take a 21-10 lead with 13:01 on the clock. The Quakers responded with a 16-4 run to take a one-point lead, 26-25, with 7:08 remaining in the first half. Crockett finished with 21 points in his first collegiate appearance.

At 4:04, Lyons made a lay-up to bring the Knights within one, 35-34. However, a shot from beyond the arc by Crockett and a lay-up by senior forward Devon Anderson would be the only made field goals for the remainder of the half as Wilmington entered the break with a 48-39 lead. Anderson finish the night with 10 points.

After falling behind by 12 points with 17:15 on the clock, Geneseo went on a 11-2 run, including six points from Lyons, to cut the lead to three, 59-56, at 13:36. 

A made lay-up by Anderson with 10:54 remaining in the second half tied the game, 64-64. Crockett hit a three in the Knights' next possession to give the team its first lead of the half at 10:05.

The lead went back and forth for the next seven minutes as neither team led by more than three. With 3:09 left in the game, the Quakers drained a three-pointer to put Geneseo down 79-77.

After Lyons hit two free throws to tie the game, 79-79, with 1:30 on the clock, senior forward James McKenna made a lay-up to give the Knights the lead, 81-79, with 59 seconds remaining.

Wilmington scored four points on a free throw and and a three-point play in its next two possessions to take a 83-81 lead with nine seconds on the clock. A McKenna's three pointer as time expired was off the mark, as the Quakers escaped with the win.

Senior guard Andy Drescher contributed 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the loss.

The Knights return to action tomorrow in the final day of the tournament against either Case Western or Rose-Hulman at 5:00 p.m.