WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Lebanon Valley College went into Lycoming College last Saturday needing a win against the Commonwealth Conference regular-season champions to make the playoffs. They won that game, but the actual playoffs proved to be a different story.

Lebanon Valley gave up a big second-half run and never recovered as it fell, 71-56, at Lycoming Wednesday night in the Commonwealth Conference semifinals.

The Dutchmen (11-15, 5-5 CC) fell victim to ice-cold shooting in the second half as the Warriors (17-8, 7-2 CC) ran a six-point lead up to 20 in less than a six-minute span. 

Lebanon Valley was making its 12th MAC or Commonwealth Conference playoff appearance in 14 seasons under Head Coach Brad McAlester. Lycoming, in its first year of play in the Commonwealth Conference after moving over from the Freedom Conference, will advance to its first CC title game under head coach and 1990 LVC graduate Don Friday.

LVC was led by 17 points from junior guard Kyle Enoch and 12 from senior forward Peter Ruth. David Wilson, the hero of Lycoming's double-overtime win against LVC earlier in the season, drained a game-high 23 points for the Warriors.

After trailing in the early going, Lycoming took the lead late in the first half on a Wilson three-pointer and never looked back. The Warriors worked the lead up to nine at the half thanks to an 11-3 run to end the half.

LVC started the second half with a run of its own, cutting the deficit to six on Ruth's three-point play. But that set off a huge Lycoming run in which the Warriors outscored LVC 19-5 in a span of 5:50 to take a 20-point lead.

The Dutchmen never really recovered, despite a spurt that included a pair of foul shots by Matt Staub and a jumper from Anthony Trautman to cut the lead to 14. The Dutchmen never got closer than that, and Lyco extended the lead back to 22 with consecutive three-pointers by Kevin Morris sandwiched around the four-minute mark.