The Mustangs’ season came to a close after a devastating 89-75 loss to the Lycoming Warriors on Feb. 22 in the first round of the 2016 MAC Commonwealth Men’s Basketball Championship.

Despite a close first half, the Warriors pulled ahead at with seven minutes left and the Mustangs failed to secure a lead for the duration of the game. All five of the Warriors’ starters scored double digits.During the second half, head coach Gary Stewart applied full court pressure which caused Lycoming to make some errors. The Warriors’ lead diminished, but the Mustangs were unable to come out on top.

The team knew the match against Lycoming was going to be difficult. During the regular season, the Mustangs lost their first game to Lycoming 78-66 but pulled out a 73-68 win in the second match-up against the Warriors.

Senior guard Chris Day predicted the third game would be “another dog fight.” The Mustangs planned to take an aggressive approach, but fell short.

“I was disappointed … I was hoping to win a championship during my time at Stevenson,” mentioned Day.

Senior forward Erik Fisher was named MAC Commonwealth Player of the week for the second time this season. Fisher scored 33 points and shot 12-23 from the floor, according to GoMustangSports.

Despite the loss, guard Christian Roberts attributed the team’s improvement to building their chemistry off the court throughout the year. The Mustangs’ built a foundation that emphasized trust, allowing the team to become a cohesive unit on the court. Roberts added that men’s basketball was doing better because “we were having fun and encouraging each other while playing.”

This was the Mustangs’ fourth straight Commonwealth Conference appearance.