Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Joe Meehan drained a fall-away three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to allow Lebanon Valley to knock off #6 Franklin & Marshall, 62-59, Tuesday night.

Meehan's shot came after the Dutchmen (3-2) gave up a first-half lead and had to claw back into the game when the Diplomats (2-1) took a three-point lead in the final moments.

LVC played methodical and tough defense, and held the Dips without a point over the final 2:32. With the game tied at 59, F&M had a final chance but never took a shot when Brandon Beckford was whistled for traveling, and Meehan came down the floor and drained a shot with two defenders in his face to win it.

"It's a huge win for us, because it gives our guys confidence," said Head Coach Brad McAlester. "The first two games [this season] we played OK, but the last two, we've played against some of the best teams in the country. We were in a position to win the game, and that's where we wanted to be."

It marks the second straight year LVC has knocked off a ranked opponent after beating #12 Ursinus last year; it's the highest-ranked opponent LVC has beaten since they also took down #5 F&M at the Mayser Center in 2004. It's also the second straight year the Dutchmen have taken down a reigning NCAA Final Four squad, again with Ursinus last year.

"Not since eighth grade, when I made a shot in the semifinals of the parochial league," grinned Meehan about the last time he had hit a game-winner. "I didn't even see the shot go in, I was knocked on the ground."

Meehan's bucket gave him 23 for the game, and Sean MacIntosh drained 15 as LVC shot 46 percent from the floor overall. F&M was held to 39.7 percent shooting, led by James McNally's 23 points and 12 rebounds from the post.

Lebanon Valley led from tthe open, taking a 6-0 lead on a Meehan three-point play and MacIntosh's trey, and immediately extending it to seven after another MacIntosh long-ball. Despite playing without key inside man Dan Dunkelberger for most of the first half due to foul trouble, the Dutchmen played deliberate offense and led by as much as 11 over the taller Diplomat squad.

In the second half, F&M erased the 35-27 LVC halftime lead, and took their first lead at 12:15 when Sal Salvati dropped a three-pointer to go up 44-43. A McNally jumper from the foul line extended the lead to three, and the two sides got into a dogfight for the rest of the half, tying or trading the lead seven times.

The Dips held a three-point edge over the closing moments after McNally's layup neutralized an earlier Meehan jumper, but a pair of foul shots by Dunkleberger cut the lead to a point with 1:47 left.

Meehan went to the line with 1:08 left and made one shot to tie the game at 59, and F&M missed two chances out of a timeout, but Steve Tolliver grabbed an offensive board with 37 seconds left. Another timeout led to a busted play when Beckford walked at the top of the arc with eight seconds to go, and after MacIntosh inbounded to Anthony Troutman, the ball found its way into Meehan's hands for the final shot with 0.7 ticks to go.

F&M never got a chance to take a final shot after Anthony Brooks' long inbounds try was intercepted by MacIntosh.

LVC will visit Ursinus on Sunday at 4 p.m.