Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Four players reached double figures in scoring, and a 22-7 run midway through the second half helped No. 17 Lebanon Valley pull away for an 81-66 victory over Moravian College in Commonwealth Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday evening in Johnston Hall.

Lebanon Valley (11-1, 3-0 CC) has now won 10 games in a row, the team’s longest winning streak since opening the 1998-99 season 12-0.

Moravian (4-10, 2-1 CC) dropped its first Commonwealth Conference game of the season.

Sophomore guard Jimmy Curran, playing minutes away from his hometown of Allentown, led the Dutchmen with a game and career-high 17 points on 7-of-8 free-throw shooting. Senior guard J.D. Byers added 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting while senior forward Steve Buzinski nearly achieved a triple-double. Buzinski posted 14 points, eight rebounds, and a career-high seven assists to go with four blocked shots.

Sophomore forward Billy Orr added a career-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench.

The Greyhounds were paced by Brandon Zaleski and Ryan Miller, who scored 12 points apiece.

Lebanon Valley shot a season-high 53.7% from the floor. The Dutchmen, who entered the game leading the nation in field-goal percentage defense (34.7%), held Moravian to 34.4% shooting.

The game went back and forth in the early going, with two ties and seven lead changes over the opening 9:51. Lebanon Valley led just 23-21 after a Zach Zsilavecz free throw, but a 13-5 run over a 5:24 stretch gave the Dutchmen a 10-point lead with 1:27 left in the half following a fadeaway jumper from Buzinski, who scored six points during the run. Buzinski finished the half with game-highs of 10 points, four assists, and two blocked shots.

In the second half, Moravian whittled the gap down to four on the strength of a 10-2 run early in the period. A pair of free throws by Miller with 12:30 left made it a 52-48 game, but that’s when the Dutchmen embarked on their 22-7 run that gave LVC its biggest lead of the night (74-55) with 5:14 remaining. Seven different players scored for the Valley during the decisive run during which the Dutchmen went 6-for-6 at the foul line. The Greyhounds were unable to get the deficit under 15 the rest of the way.

Lebanon Valley returns to action on Saturday, when it hosts Susquehanna University at 3 p.m. in another Commonwealth Conference contest.

[Photo - Sophomore guard Jimmy Curran, who scored a career-high 17 points in Lebanon Valley's 81-66 win over Moravian on Wednesday]

-lvc-