Box Score
READING, Pa. – Sophomore guard J.D. Byers (Westminster, Md./Westminster) scored a game-high 26 points, including 16 of his team’s 27 points in the second half, but Albright defeated Lebanon Valley 67-64 Wednesday evening in a Commonwealth Conference men’s basketball contest in the Bollman Center.
Lebanon Valley (6-7, 1-2 CC) trailed 60-52 with 4:06 remaining before putting together a late rally. The Flying Dutchmen hit four three-pointers, with three coming from Byers, in the last 3:10 and a Byers trey with 13 seconds remaining pulled the Valley to within one (65-64). However, the Lions’ Andy Winebrenner hit a pair of free throws three seconds later and Byers missed badly on a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.
Albright (3-7, 2-1 CC) sealed its victory at the foul line, hitting five of its last six free throws with Winebrenner connecting on four straight foul shots in the final 27 seconds. LVC struggled at the line, hitting just 2-of-12 shots from the charity stripe and missing all eight of its second-half free throws.
Ian Houck led Albright with 14 points.
Byers shot 9-for-17 from the field and 6-for-11 from three-point range. As a team, the Valley shot 42.6 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent (10-of-25) from downtown but was out-rebounded 45-39.
The Dutchmen opened the game with a 9-3 run and saw their lead balloon to 10 (19-9) after junior forward Jeff Kline (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) hit a long jumper for two of his season-high eight points. With LVC leading 21-12, Houck scored nine straight points on a trio of three-pointers to tie the game at 21. But the Valley answered right back with a 9-2 run to open up a seven-point (30-23) advantage with 7:34 remaining in the opening half.
Albright took its first lead of the game when Winebrenner knocked down a jumper in the lane with 1:16 to go in the first half, giving the Lions a 38-37 halftime edge.
After four lead changes in the opening 6:51 of the second half, Byers dropped in a reverse lay-up with 10:49 left to make it 51-50 in favor of Albright. But those turned out to be the Valley’s last points over the next 6:13. Albright scored the next seven points to take a 58-50 lead before Byers hit a jumper with 4:36 left to end LVC’s drought.
Junior guard Evan Harlor (Danville, Pa./Danville) scored 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting and handed out a game-high six assists for the Valley. Senior center Darren Pugh (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds while freshman forward Dave Kasyan (Toms River, N.J./Toms River) registered a game and career-high four blocks.
Lebanon Valley picks up its Commonwealth schedule on Saturday when it hosts Widener University at 3 p.m. in the second game of a men’s and women’s doubleheader.
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