Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior guard Jimmy Curran tied a career-high with 28 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop a hot-shooting Moravian College from defeating Lebanon Valley 94-87 in Commonwealth Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday evening at Johnston Hall.

Moravian (8-6, 1-2), which shot 47.4% from the field and 57.9% (11-for-19) from 3-point range, raced out to a 42-33 halftime lead and led by as much as 20 midway through the second half. Lebanon Valley (10-4, 2-1 CC) rallied late, pulling to within five in the final minute, but ran out of time to complete its comeback.

Eric Whitman shot 7-for-10 and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc to lead Moravian with 25 points while Mark Franzyshen tallied 21 points, shooting 11-for-13 at the foul line. Michael Clemente shot 4-for-4 from 3-point territory and added 14 points for the ’Hounds.

Sophomore guard Dan Hodge came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points for the Valley while senior guard Hunter Bretschneider posted 12 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Peter Ruth added eight points and three blocks for the Dutchmen.

Moravian led by 20 with 12:50 left before Lebanon Valley climbed back into it with a 10-1 run that cut the gap to 11 (65-54) with 10:26 left. The Dutchmen pulled to within single digits when Bretschneider nailed a pair of free throws with 5:50 left, making it a 74-66 game, but were unable to reduce the deficit under seven until the final minute.

A Hodge 3-pointer, his third of the night, made it 90-84 with 24 seconds remaining, but Clemente answered with a pair of foul shots less than a second later. Hodge then converted a conventional three-point play with 17 seconds to go, making it 92-87, but Franzyshen hit the second of two free throws two seconds later, and Moravian set the final score with one second left when LVC fouled after a last-second missed shot.

Lebanon Valley led just once on the evening, when a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Kyle Enoch gave the Dutchmen a 3-2 lead. Moravian led 14-13 midway through the first half before a 12-2 run gave the Greyhounds their first double-digit lead (26-15) of the night. The Dutchmen pulled to within five (26-21) after  a Bretschneider trey with 6:02 on the clock, but Moravian came right back with seven straight points, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Clemente and Matt Devlin, giving the ’Hounds a 33-21 lead with 4:58 left in the opening half. LVC closed the gap to nine on a pair of Curran free throws 1:07 before the end of the half.

The Greyhounds gradually pulled away at the start of the second half. A 12-4 Moravian run gave the home team its first 20-point lead of the game following an Eric Weaver lay-up with 14:20 left before LVC started its rally midway through the half.

Lebanon Valley concludes its six-game road trip on Saturday, when it visits Messiah College at 8 p.m. in another Commonwealth Conference game.

[Photo - Sophomore guard Dan Hodge, who scored a career-high 21 points against Moravian on Wednesday]

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