Box Score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Junior forward Kevin Cuff scored a game-high 30 points and Susquehanna broke open a close game with a 16-2 second-half run as the Crusaders defeated Lebanon Valley 78-66 in Commonwealth Conference men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
With the win, Susquehanna (11-6, 3-3 CC) snapped a six-game losing streak against Lebanon Valley, beating the Flying Dutchmen for the first time since the 2003 Commonwealth Conference tournament semifinals.
Lebanon Valley (10-7, 2-4 CC), which lost its fourth Commonwealth Conference game in a row, received 20 points from senior guard Jimmy Curran, his eighth 20-point game of the season, while junior forward Peter Ruth posted a career-high 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Senior guard Hunter Bretschneider added eight points, a career-high seven assists, and four steals.
Zac Smith and Andy Gaebel also scored in double figures for Susquehanna, finishing with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Susquehanna led 49-48 with 14:44 left before its game-breaking run. Joel Patch (17 points) scored the first four points of the surge before Gaebel scored the next six. Cuff capped the run with a 3-pointer and a conventional three-point play, making it 65-50 with 7:05 to go. LVC was unable to reduce the deficit under eight the rest of the way.
With LVC leading 10-7 in the early going, the Crusaders went on a 10-0 run, with Smith and Cuff hitting 3-pointers along the way, to open up a seven-point lead with 12:28 on the clock.
The Crusaders extended their advantage to as much as 11 before the Dutchmen rallied with a 10-0 run of its own late in the half. Ruth started the spurt with a fast-break lay-up, and sophomore guard Kyle Enoch nailed a 3-pointer in transition to pull LVC to within one (29-28) with 2:59 remaining in the half. After Susquehanna scored four straight points to pull ahead by five, Curran made both ends of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity with 29 ticks showing, making it a 35-32 game at the half.
Lebanon Valley tied the game on a trey from Bretschneider 34 seconds into the second half, and a Ruth lay-in gave the Dutchmen their first lead (39-38) since it was 10-7. LVC still led after a Curran put-back made it 41-40 with 17:30 left, but a Cuff 3-pointer gave the Crusaders the lead for good.
Cuff and Patch each finished with nine rebounds while junior center Luke Foster was the top rebounder for the Valley, hauling in a career-high nine boards.
Lebanon Valley picks up its schedule on Wednesday, when it hosts Juniata College at 8 p.m. in another Commonwealth Conference affair.
[Photo - Junior forward Peter Ruth, who scored a career-high 14 points against Susquehanna on Saturday]
-lvc-
