Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior guard Jimmy Curran scored 20 points and Lebanon Valley held Arcadia University to 32.3% shooting as the Flying Dutchmen earned a 56-49 non-conference victory Thursday evening at the LVC Gymnasium.

Lebanon Valley (6-2), which won its fourth game in a row, led from start to finish, although Arcadia (1-7) whittled a 14-point deficit down to four late in the game.

The Knights were led by senior forward Dave Boettcher, who poured in 20 points while tying a gym record with 17 rebounds.

Curran is now 24 points away from becoming Lebanon Valley’s 30th 1,000-point scorer.

After racing out to a 31-18 halftime lead, the Dutchmen enjoyed a 36-22 advantage with 17:08 left after a pair of Curran free throws. It was a 39-27 game after a Curran jumper with 12:09 to go, but LVC could manage only a Luke Foster lay-up over the next 7:05, when Arcadia went on an elongated 8-2 run. Boettcher hit a pair of free throws with 6:25 left to pull the Knights to within six (41-35).

Arcadia reduced the deficit to four on three different occasions, the last coming on a Boettcher jumper with 1:51 on the clock. However, Curran came through with a fadeaway jumper from the left baseline with 1:15 left, making it 53-47. After the Knights missed a pair of shots, Arcadia was forced to foul sophomore guard Kyle Enoch with 36 seconds remaining and the Knights in the double bonus.

Enoch made the second of two free throws before Arcadia drew to within five (54-49) with 25 ticks showing when junior guard Sterling Green nailed a jumper from the left elbow with his foot on the three-point line. But senior guard Hunter Bretschneider and Curran each made the second of two free throws sandwiched around an Arcadia turnover as the Dutchmen held on to post its first four-game winning streak since late in the 2004-05 season.

Bretschneider finished with 14 points while Enoch posted seven points, six rebounds, and five assists. Junior forward Peter Ruth contributed six points and seven rebounds.

Junior guard Kevin Brown added 12 points and four assists for Arcadia while Martin pulled down 10 rebounds.

Neither team shot well at the free-throw line. Arcadia made just 47.4% (9-for-19) of its foul shots while the Dutchmen went 50.0% (10-for-20) at the charity stripe.

The Knights did not make a three-pointer, missing all four of their attempts while the Dutchmen were 6-for-19 from beyond the arc.

Four different Lebanon Valley players scored over the game’s opening 3:21 as the Dutchmen opened up a 9-0 lead following a Bretschneider three-pointer. Arcadia chipped away to make it an 18-14 game with 7:25 on the clock after a Boettcher jumper, but the Valley answered with an 8-0 run, and another Bretschneider trey gave LVC a 26-14 lead with 6:10 on the clock.

A Martin jumper pulled the Knights to within eight (26-18) with 2:32 remaining, but the Dutchmen scored the final five points of the half.

The Dutchmen shot 41.9% in the opening half while holding the Knights to 25.8% shooting.

Lebanon Valley takes 10 days off before hitting the hardwood again on Monday, Dec. 18, when the Dutchmen host Goucher College in a non-conference affair starting at 7:30 p.m.

[Photo - Senior guard Hunter Bretschneider, who scored 14 points in Lebanon Valley's 56-49 win over Arcadia on Thursday]

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