Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Junior guard Erin Eaby (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) posted a game-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds and junior center Jennifer Northcott (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) added 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks as the Lebanon Valley College women's basketball team defeated Moravian College 67-59 in Commonwealth Conference action Wednesday evening at the LVC Gymnasium.
Lebanon Valley (11-1, 2-1 CC) won its sixth straight game and stayed perfect at 5-0 in the month of January. Moravian (7-5, 2-1 CC) dropped its second game in a row and lost its first conference game of the season.
Senior guard Kim Hughes (Manasquan, N.J./St. Rose) scored a team-high 15 points for Moravian while sophomore forward Stephanie Seaman (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman guard Rachel Berlin (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) tossed in 10 points for the Greyhounds.
LVC also received a season-high 15 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks from junior guard Crystal Gibson (Randallstown, Md./Randallstown). Freshman forward Monica Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Randallstown) collected eight rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench while junior forward Tamika Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Milford Academy) had eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Lebanon Valley bolted to an early 6-2 lead, but the 'Hounds reeled off six straight points to go ahead 8-6. However, that would turn out to be Moravian's only lead of the game. A fast break layup by Eaby sparked a 10-0 LVC run that gave the Flying Dutchmen a 16-9 lead with 14:05 left in the opening half.
Moravian trailed by only three (20-17) with 6:08 to go in the opening stanza, but LVC outscored the 'Hounds 8-2 over the next 3:21 to assume a nine-point lead (28-19). But Moravian kept it close and finished the period on a 6-2 spurt to cut the gap to 30-25 at the half.
Hughes nailed a 3-pointer 19 seconds into the second half to pull the Greyhounds to within two. Moravian trailed by only three (40-37) with 16:23 remaining before the Valley defense helped break the game open. The Dutchmen held the Greyhounds scoreless over a 5:30 stretch while scoring 13 unanswered points to take a commanding 16-point lead (53-37) with 10:53 left.
Moravian answered with a 10-0 run of its own to cut the gap to six (53-47) with 7:53 to go. LVC pushed its lead back into double digits after a layup by Gibson made it 60-49 with 3:54 left, but the 'Hounds would not go quietly. A 10-4 Moravian run sliced the deficit to five (64-59) with 44 seconds left, but a layup from Rogers and a free throw by Gibson down the stretch sealed the win for LVC.
Both teams struggled with their shooting. Moravian shot just 26.7% from the floor, 11.1% (2-for-18) from 3-point range and 60.7% from the foul line. LVC was 37.3% from the field, 12.5% (1-for-8) from beyond the arc and 55.2% (16-for-29) at the free-throw line.
Lebanon Valley returns to Commonwealth Conference action on Saturday when it visits Susquehanna University at 1 p.m. in the opener of a men's and women's doubleheader.
[Photo - Junior guard Erin Eaby, who scored a game-high 19 points in Lebanon Valley's 67-59 win over Moravian on Wednesday evening at the LVC Gymnasium]
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