Box Score

CHESTER, Pa. – The backcourt tandem of juniors Jimmy Curran and Hunter Bretschneider combined for 45 points and nine three-pointers, but the Lebanon Valley College men’s basketball team fell 78-67 in overtime at Widener University in the Commonwealth Conference opener for both teams.

The Pioneers, who won their sixth straight game to start the season, were led by center Kris Clarkson, who tallied game-highs of 31 points and 17 rebounds.

Curran and Bretschneider each reached career-highs in scoring for the Flying Dutchmen (2-3, 0-1 CC), who lost their Commonwealth Conference opener for the first time since the 2000-01 season. Curran posted 24 points and also set a career-high in rebounds with nine. Bretschneider tallied all of his 21 points from three-point territory, shooting an incredible 7-for-11 from behind the arc to come up one trey short of the single-game school record set three times by J.D. Byers ’05. He exceeded his previous career-high scoring total by seven points.

Senior forward Dan Hogan led LVC on the boards with 10 rebounds, his fifth straight double-digit rebounding game to open the season, while freshman guard Kyle Enoch, making his first collegiate start, had eight points and a season-high seven rebounds.

The game was extremely close from the start through the end of regulation, when there were 11 ties and 20 lead changes. Neither team led by more than seven the entire night before Widener scored the first 10 points of the overtime session, taking a commanding 70-60 lead with 1:12 left.

Bretschneider’s seventh and final three-pointer gave the Dutchmen the lead (60-58), their first since midway through the second half, with 2:17 left in regulation. But Clarkson put back his own missed shot with 1:49 to go to tie it up. Lebanon Valley missed its next two shots but got the ball back with eight seconds remaining following a Pioneer turnover. But the Dutchmen turned it over as well just as time expired.

A 7-0 LVC run, capped by a Hogan put-back, gave the Dutchmen their biggest lead of the night (24-18) with 7:19 remaining in the opening half. However, the Pioneers outscored the Dutchmen 10-2 over the remainder of the stanza and took a 28-26 lead into the locker room.

Hogan knocked down a jumper with 16:36 left in the second half to tie the game 35-35 before Widener used a 7-0 run to take its biggest lead of regulation with 15:10 on the clock. But Lebanon Valley came right back with a 12-2 run to take a 47-44 lead with 11:52 left. However, that would be the Valley’s final lead before Bretschneider’s late three-pointer, as Wyatt Haas knocked down a triple for Widener, keying a 9-0 Pioneer run that made it 53-47 in favor of the home team.

Widener still led by six (56-50) with 5:09 to go after Haas hit his second and final three-pointer, but the Dutchmen answered with a 10-2 run, capped by Bretschneider’s last trey.

Lebanon Valley missed four shots and turned the ball over twice in overtime before scoring its first points, a pair of Enoch free throws, to make it 70-62. Curran nailed a three-pointer with 42 seconds left, but the Dutchmen were unable to get any closer.

Forward Ron Michael added 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks for Widener, which won its sixth straight home game against Lebanon Valley and won for the 10th time in its last 11 home dates against the Dutchmen dating back to 2000.

Lebanon Valley shot 47.8% (11-for-23) from three-point range and 90.9% (10-for-11) at the foul line. The Dutchmen held Widener to 30.8% (4-for-13) shooting from behind the arc, and the Pioneers shot just 50.0% (10-for-20) at the foul line.

The Dutchmen play the third game of their seven-day, four-game stretch when they host Franklin & Marshall College at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in a non-conference outing.

[Photo - Junior guard Hunter Bretschneider, who scored 21 points and shot 7-for-11 from three-point range in Lebanon Valley's overtime loss at Widener on Tuesday]

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