Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior guard Erin Eaby scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half and tied a career-high with eight steals as Lebanon Valley defeated Susquehanna 64-52 in a Commonwealth Conference match-up Saturday afternoon at the LVC Gymnasium.
Lebanon Valley improved to 8-4 and 2-2 in the Commonwealth Conference while Susquehanna dropped to 5-9 and 1-3 in conference play.
Eaby, who also tied a career-high with eight rebounds, was 9-for-13 at the free-throw line.
LVC led by only four (52-48) with 2:23 left following a Skyra Blanchard put-back. But the Valley closed the game on a 12-4 run, during which it was 9-for-12 at the foul line.
Senior center Jennifer Northcott added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Valley and picked up her 200th career block and steal while senior guard Crystal Gibson had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Sophomore forward Jen Clark paced Susquehanna with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds while sophomore guard Jenn Evans had 11 points.
The game went back and forth early on with two ties and five lead changes over the opening 5:43. An 11-4 LVC spurt, capped by a three-pointer by sophomore guard Allie Butler put the Valley on top by seven (20-13) with 10:35 left in the half but Susquehanna would crawl back into it. A 9-0 Crusader run put the visitors on top 24-22 with 5:03 left in the opening stanza, and LVC took a 29-26 lead into the half.
Lebanon Valley extended its lead to as much as nine (35-26) early in the second period and the hosts enjoyed an eight-point edge (41-33) with 13:51 on the clock. But that’s when LVC hit a cold spell, as the Valley went for nearly six minutes without scoring. In the meantime, Susquehanna scored the next nine points to take a 42-41 lead with 9:13 left.
LVC broke their scoring drought with 7:58 to go on a conventional three-point play by Eaby, giving the Valley a lead (44-42) it would not relinquish. A fastbreak lay-up by freshman guard Donna Geiger 17 seconds later gave the Valley a five-point cushion, and Susquehanna was unable to cut the deficit under three the rest of the way.
The Crusaders shot 30.6% from the field, 21.4% (3-for-14) from three-point range, and 61.1% (11-for-18) at the foul line. Lebanon Valley was 38.8% from the field, 42.9% (3-for-7) from beyond the arc, and 63.9% (23-for-36) from the charity stripe.
Lebanon Valley continues its season on Tuesday, when it visits Widener University at 7 p.m. in another Commonwealth Conference showdown.
[Photo - Senior guard Erin Eaby, who scored a game-high 19 points and eight steals in Lebanon Valley's 64-52 win over Susquehanna on Saturday]
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