Box Score
LANCASTER, Pa. – Senior guard J.D. Byers (Westminster, Md./Westminster) hit four straight free throws in the final 14 seconds, and Lebanon Valley upset fifth-ranked and previously unbeaten Franklin & Marshall 80-76 in overtime Saturday evening at the Mayser Center.
Lebanon Valley (7-1) won its sixth game in a row and beat F&M (4-1) for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Ironically, that game also went to overtime, with LVC winning 62-56 over a seventh-ranked Diplomat squad. LVC also picked up its first win at Frankliln & Marshall since its 74-64 win in the championship game of the Sponaugle Classic on Nov. 22, 1997.
The Flying Dutchmen had possession of the ball with 42 seconds left in overtime and were looking to melt the shot clock when Byers was fouled with 14 seconds left by an F&M defender attempting a steal. With both teams in the double bonus since midway through the second half, Byers went to the free-throw line and made both foul shots to put the Valley up 78-76.
The Diplomats had one final chance to pull even in the closing seconds, but they turned the ball over in the paint. Byers, who finished with a game-high 27 points, came up with the loose ball with 0.7 seconds on the clock and nailed two more free throws to seal the win.
Lebanon Valley appeared to be headed for a victory in regulation before sophomore guard Logan Outerbridge pump-faked an LVC defender into the air and drained a three from the right elbow to tie it at 72 with six seconds left. After a timeout Byers took the ensuing inbounds pass, raced the length of the court, and launched a runner from the right baseline, but his shot was off the mark.
In overtime, Franklin & Marshall took its first lead since the 6:43 mark of the second half when junior guard Brandon Smith grabbed the opening tip-off and drove in for a layup. But LVC pulled even (74-74) with 2:49 remaining when senior center Brad Stigelman (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor), who finished with a career-high 19 points, took a no-look pass from Byers under the basket and dropped in a layup.
Smith drove hard to the glass and converted a layup of his own to put the Dips back in front (76-74) with 2:28 to go before a put-back by junior forward Dan Hogan (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) tied it once again with 1:04 remaining. Lebanon Valley came up with a defensive stop with just under a minute to go before Byers' game-winning foul shots.
The game went back and forth in the early going, with three ties and three lead changes over the opening 4:18. After Byers’ second three-pointer of the night tied the game at 13 with 15:42 left in the half, F&M put together an 18-5 run over the next eight minutes to go up 31-18 with 7:43 to go for its biggest lead of the night. Senior guard Jackiem Wright capped the run with his fourth and final three-pointer of the night, a straightaway bomb from beyond NBA range.
Lebanon Valley stormed back and closed the half on an 18-5 run of its own to tie the game at 36 heading into the locker room. Byers started the run with back-to-back threes and scored 11 points during the stretch.
Byers finished an amazing first half with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including red-hot 5-for-6 marksmanship from beyond the arc. Wright was just as impressive, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the first half on 4-of-9 three-point shooting.
A Stigelman layup 2:08 into the second half had LVC up by three (42-39) but a 15-4 F&M run early in the period, capped by an Outerbridge three, had the Dips ahead by double digits (58-48) for the second time. However, LVC responded once again, this time reeling off 11 straight points, and a pair of free throws by senior forward Steve Buzinski (West Pittston, Pa./Wyoming) put the Dutchmen back in front (59-58) with 7:38 left.
After two ties and four lead changes over a 1:18 span late in the half, Lebanon Valley went up by four (70-66) when sophomore guard Jimmy Curran (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) drove down the right baseline for a layup. A pair of Bobby Lynch free throws made it 70-68 with 1:28 left, but a Hogan put-back with 54 seconds to go restored the Dutchmen’s four-point lead.
Smith hit the second of two free throws with 45 seconds left to cut the deficit to three (72-69), setting up Outerbridge’s heroics.
For the second time in three games, all five Lebanon Valley starters reached double figures in scoring. Curran, Buzinski, and Hogan all posted 11 points, as the Dutchmen’s starters accounted for all but one of the team’s points.
Byers dished out a season-high seven assists and ended up 6-for-12 from three-point range. Buzinski grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds while Hogan added nine boards. Stigelman, who added eight rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots, provided a gutsy performance, leaving the game midway through the second half with an ankle injury but returning to play the final minutes in regulation and the entire overtime period.
Smith finished with 18 points while Lynch had 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Outerbridge added 14 points.
Lebanon Valley returns to action on Monday, Jan. 3, when it visits Arcadia College at 7 p.m. in a non-conference contest.
[Photo - Senior center Brad Stigelman, who had 19 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots in Lebanon Valley's 80-76 win over No. 5 Franklin & Marshall Saturday evening]
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