Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Despite a stellar defensive showing, Lebanon Valley was handed its fifth straight defeat, losing 51-47 to Haverford College Thursday evening in non-conference men’s basketball action in Lynch Gymnasium.
The Flying Dutchmen put together one of their best defensive efforts of the season in the second half, limiting Haverford (7-8) to 33.3% shooting and a meager 22 points. However, LVC (6-10) managed just 21 second-half points on 26.1% shooting.
Sophomore forward Mark Gabriel scored a game-high 12 points for Haverford (7-8), which won its fourth game in a row. LVC (6-10) received a team-high 11 points from sophomore guard J.D. Byers (Westminster, Md./Westminster).
Sophomore guard Mike Kelly contributed nine points for Haverford while senior center Cam Scribner posted a team-high nine rebounds. Junior guard Jay Leader (Halifax, Pa./Halifax) finished with 10 points for Lebanon Valley.
Senior center Darren Pugh (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) posted his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds for LVC. Pugh is now just 20 rebounds shy of passing Andy Panko ’99 as Lebanon Valley’s all-time leading rebounder. He is also 61 points away from becoming Lebanon Valley’s 26th 1,000-point scorer.
Haverford shot just 39.2% for the game while Lebanon Valley shot a season-low 32.7%. The Dutchmen’s 47 points marked the team’s worst offensive output since the team’s 47-44 loss to Ursinus College on Nov. 26, 2000.
The Fords led 29-26 at halftime and saw their lead hit double digits (38-28) with 12:17 left in the game. But back-to-back three-pointers from Byers quickly cut the gap to four with 10:31 remaining. Haverford pushed its lead back to eight on two different occasions midway through the period but LVC did not go away.
A pair of free throws by Leader with 1:11 to go pulled the Dutchmen back to within four (48-44). But Haverford answered with a lay-up from sophomore forward Matt Stein. After a missed three-pointer from junior guard Evan Harlor (Danville, Pa./Danville) Stein missed the front end of a one-on-one, but LVC failed to capitalize when Byers missed a trey with 20 seconds left. Senior guard Matt Duffy was fouled after collecting the rebound and hit one two free throws with 19 seconds left to put Haverford up 51-44. Leader canned a three with nine seconds to go to set the final score.
Lebanon Valley outscored Haverford 8-2 to start the game before the Fords came back with a 7-0 run to give the team its first lead of the game. Haverford led 23-20 with 8:05 to in the first half following a three-pointer from senior guard Drew Brayford (Barnesville, Pa./Mahanoy Area). But LVC would not score again for another 5:52, although the Fords mustered only six points during the stretch. Leader put LVC back on the board with 2:13 to go in the half, and a triple from Byers cut the gap to 29-26 at the half.
Pugh hit a pair of free throws 26 seconds into the second half as LVC inched to within one. But Haverford shut out the Valley over the next 7:17 while scoring nine straight points, giving the team its 10-point advantage.
Lebanon Valley returns to Commonwealth Conference action on Saturday when it visits Messiah College at 8 p.m. in the nightcap of a men’s and women’s doubleheader.
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