Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. – Junior guard Chelsea Luhta scored 28 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as Widener defeated Lebanon Valley 85-76 in Commonwealth Conference women’s basketball action Tuesday evening at the LVC Gymnasium.

With the win, coupled with Messiah’s 52-35 win over Elizabethtown, Widener (15-9, 8-5 CC) has clinched a berth in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs.

Luhta shot 11-for-14 for the game, leading a 52.6% shooting effort for Widener.

The Pioneers snapped a seven-game losing streak against LVC, earning their first win over the Valley since their 71-69 overtime victory on Feb. 17, 2001.

Lebanon Valley (14-7, 7-5 CC) was led by senior guard Erin Eaby, who tied a career-high with 28 points. Sophomore forward Monica Johnson added 15 points and seven rebounds while senior guard Crystal Gibson had 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Senior center Jennifer Northcott gathered 15 rebounds.

A total of 48 personal fouls were called. Senior forward Tamika Rogers, sophomore guard Allie Butler, and Northcott all fouled out for LVC, while junior forward Celeste Baumgardner fouled out for Widener.

Baumgardner and freshman forward Dominique Kidd added 15 points apiece for Widener, while junior guard Linette Babiarz handed out seven assists.

Eaby and Luhta both tied the LVC Gymnasium record for points in one game.

Widener led by nine (40-31) at the half, then outscored LVC 9-3 to start the second half and open up a 15-point advantage (49-34) with 15:44 left. The Pioneers pushed their lead to 16 (55-39) with 11:37 to go, but LVC came back with a 13-5 run to cut the gap to eight following an Eaby three-pointer with 8:12 remaining. A jumper from junior forward Terri Faust with 2:44 left made it a seven-point game, but Widener went 9-for-14 at the foul line over the final 1:57 to put the game away.

Lebanon Valley led by five with 8:07 left in the opening half following a Johnson lay-up before Widener went on a 13-2 run to assume a 33-27 lead with 2:01 to go. A lay-up by Gibson pulled LVC to within four (33-29), but Widener closed the stanza on a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Luhta jumper with four seconds left.

Luhta scored 14 points in the first half while Johnson had recorded all 12 points of her points before the break. Northcott pulled down 12 of her rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

Lebanon Valley will look to clinch a berth in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs when it hosts Elizabethtown at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

[Photo - Senior guard Erin Eaby, who tied a career-high with 28 points against Widener on Tuesday]

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