Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. – The spirits of Lynch Gymnasium made certain the Lebanon Valley College men's basketball team would come away victorious in the final game on its home floor.

In the last men's basketball game ever in the 53-year-old gym, sophomore guard J.D. Byers (Westminster, Md./Westminster) erupted for a career-high 41 points, including an improbable half-court buzzer-beater, to lead LVC to a thrilling 85-82 double overtime Commonwealth Conference victory over Messiah College on Senior Day Saturday afternoon.

The win, Lebanon Valley's fifth in a row, clinched an 11th straight MAC or Commonwealth Conference playoff berth for the Flying Dutchmen and the team's ninth straight playoff berth under ninth-year head coach Brad McAlester. Lebanon Valley (13-12, 8-6 CC) will enter the Commonwealth playoffs as the No. 4 seed and travel to No. 1 seed Susquehanna University for a first-round game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

With LVC trailing 78-75 with just 3.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime and Messiah's Greg Bernhardt heading to the foul line to shoot a pair of free throws, defeat seemed imminent for the Flying Dutchmen. However, Bernhardt missed both foul shots and senior center Darren Pugh (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) snared the rebound, setting up a storybook finish. Pugh handed the ball to Byers, who weaved his way through a crowd of Falcons before launching a 50-footer from center court at the buzzer. The shot caromed off the backboard and through the net, inciting a capacity crowd into mayhem.

The Dutchmen outscored Messiah 7-4 in the second overtime for the victory.

The win was also LVC's ninth straight overtime triumph, dating back to last season.

Byers shot 11-for-20 for the game and 8-for-15 from downtown to set a new single-game school record for three-pointers. He also shot 11-for-14 from the foul line and handed out a game-high five assists. His 41 points were the most scored by a Dutchman since Andy Panko '99 dropped a school-record 58 points against Juniata College on Dec. 2, 1998.

Pugh finished the game with 23 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for his eighth straight double-double and his 16th of the season. He shot 7-for-9 from the field and 9-for-10 from the foul line.

Bernhardt and sophomore forward David Henninger led Messiah (7-16, 2-12 CC) with 17 points apiece.

In the second overtime, Byers picked up right where he left off and scored the team's first four points. His jumper with 51 seconds left put LVC ahead 82-78 but Messiah refused to go quietly. A lay-up by Henninger pulled the Falcons to within one (83-82) with nine seconds to go and Bernhard put Pugh at the line with seven ticks remaining. However, Pugh swished both free throws and a last-second three by junior guard Femi Akinnagbe missed badly.

LVC led by as much as 11 (43-32) early in the second half following a three-pointer by freshman forward Dan Hogan (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) before the Falcons began to rally. An 18-3 run, fueled by a six-point outburst and fast-break dunk by freshman guard Dan Snyder, put Messiah ahead 50-46 with 8:47 left. The Dutchmen answered with four straight points to even the score at 50 and set up an wild finish, as the final 7:24 included four ties and five lead changes.

Byers hit a pair of foul shots with 2:01 left to give LVC a 65-63 lead. A Henninger lay-up pulled Messiah even with 1:38 to go and would turn out to be the final points of regulation. After Akinnagbe missed a jumper with 35 seconds to go, sophomore forward Steve Buzinski (West Pittston, Pa./Wyoming Area) yanked down the rebound, allowing the Valley to set up for one final shot. However, Hogan misfired on a three-pointer from the right baseline as time expired.

Lebanon Valley took a 38-26 lead into halftime with Byers leading all scorers with 16 points.

Junior guard Evan Harlor (Danville, Pa./Danville) finished with 15 points for LVC while Hogan tied a game-high with a career-high four steals. Buzinski also tied a game and career-high with three blocked shots.

[Photo - Sophomore guard J.D. Byers, who led LVC to an 85-82 double overtime win over Messiah with a career-high 41 points and a half-court buzzer-beater]

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