Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior guard J.D. Byers (Westminster, Md./Westminster) scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, and the Lebanon Valley College men's basketball team used a 16-0 run to start the second half to defeat Albright 79-65 in the Commonwealth Conference opener for both teams Wednesday evening at the LVC Gymnasium.
Lebanon Valley (4-1, 1-0 CC) took advantage of 25 Albright fouls and made 84.2% (32-of-38) of its free throws. LVC also committed 25 fouls, but the Lions (3-3, 0-1 CC) shot only 63.0% (17-for-27) at the charity stripe.
Junior forward Trevor Deeter, one of four Lions to reach double figures in scoring, led Albright with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Sophomore guards Jimmy Curran (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) and Hunter Bretschneider (Washington Crossing, Pa./Council Rock North) added 13 points apiece for the Flying Dutchmen. Bretschneider, who scored seven straight points during a big 7-0 LVC run midway through the second half, was also 8-for-10 at the line. His 13 points were six more than his previous career high.
Leading by nine (65-56) with 2:36 remaining, Lebanon Valley salted the game away by making 11 of its final 12 free throws. Byers, who made 12 of 15 foul shots for the game, went 6-for-6 during the stretch run for the Dutchmen. He also handed out a game- and season-high six assists, and was 3-for-6 from behind the arc. Byers is now one three-pointer shy of the Lebanon Valley career record of 236 held by Mike Rhoades '95.
Senior forward Steve Buzinski (West Pittston, Pa./Wyoming) recorded eight points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Dutchmen before fouling out with 5:23 remaining in the game.
The Dutchmen struggled offensively early in the game, missing their first seven shots before a layup by Buzinski nearly seven minutes into the contest made it 7-2. But Albright was in control for most of the first half, and the Lions led by nine (19-10) with 7:41 to go in the opening stanza. A 9-0 LVC run late in the period gave the Dutchmen their first lead (24-23) of the game, but Albright closed the half with a 9-0 surge of its own and took a 32-24 lead into halftime.
Albright shot 47.8% from the floor over the opening 20 minutes while holding LVC to 30.8% shooting.
The second half was a different story, with the Dutchmen finding their shooting touch. Lebanon Valley would go on to shoot a sizzling 61.9% (13-for-21) from the field in the period while holding the Lions to 26.3% shooting.
After missing its first shot of the second half, Lebanon Valley connected on its next six attempts during its decisive 16-0 run as the Dutchmen took a 40-32 lead with 15:47 to go. Byers scored seven of LVC's points during the stretch.
Albright refused to go away, however, and a 5-0 Lion spurt made it a four-point game (47-43) with 10:07 left. But that's when Bretschneider came alive, hitting a pair of free throws, driving to the glass for a fastbreak layup, and nailing three more free throws to give the Dutchmen their first double-digit lead (54-43) of the night with 7:48 remaining.
The Lions answered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to six, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the night.
Lebanon Valley shot 44.7% for the game while Albright ended up with a 34.4% mark. The Lions out-rebounded LVC 40-31.
The Dutchmen continue their Commonwealth Conference schedule on Saturday, when they host Messiah College at 3 p.m. in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader.
[Photo - Sophomore guard Hunter Bretschneider, who scored a career-high 13 points in Lebanon Valley's 79-65 win over Albright on Wednesday]
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