Box Score
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - It is becoming clear that any matchup between Lebanon Valley College and Lycoming in women's basketball is appointment viewing. For the fourth time in the last five meetings between the Commonwealth Conference rivals, the game was a nail-biter. This time, the game needed overtime as the Flying Dutchmen overcame a buzzer-beating layup to tie the game in regulation to down the Warriors, 86-80.
The four close endings have all fallen in LVC's favor, as the Flying Dutchmen won twice last year by a combined six points. Five points from Megan Bish in the final 37 seconds gave LVC a 65-60 win Jan. 14 and then a layup with 4.4 seconds remaining on Jan. 31 sent LVC to a 70-69 win. Those two games followed a 76-75 win in overtime for the Flying Dutchmen on 2/5/08.
In a game that featured nine ties and nine different lead changes, no minute encapsulated the entire affair like the final 60 seconds of regulation.
Lyco's Rebecca Leid downed two free throws with 1:03 left to give the Warriors a 68-67 lead. Liz Borgia countered for LVC with two free throws of her own with 46 seconds remaining. Borgia went to the line after she was fouled following an offensive rebound. Lycoming missed a three-pointer with 39 seconds left and it appeared as if LVC could hold and drain most of the time off the clock.
However, LVC's Andrea Hoover turned the ball over with 27 seconds remaining to give the Warriors the ball. LVc then fouled Kaitlyn Ober with 22 ticks left on the clock. Ober made the first for a 70-69 Warrior lead. However, Ober missed the second and Eryn Schultz pulled down the board for LVC who would have a chance to take the lead.
Borgia did just that for the Dutchmen with a three-ball off a Hoover feed with 10 seconds to play, giving LVC a 71-70 lead. The only problem for LVC was that there was too much time on the clock. Lycoming called a timeout and after the break Leid tied the game at the buzzer with a layup.
A late bucket allowed on the road to extend the game could have spelled doom for the Dutchmen, but LVC countered in overtime by never trailing. Schultz opened the extra period with a three-point play, scoring a layup and adding the free throw off the and-one. Borgia's jumper with 3:28 left in OT gave LVC a 78-73 lead. Lycoming climbed back within two points twice - including after a three from Jessica Zerbee with 57 seconds left - but LVC went 4-for-4 from the line to ice the game.
Free throw shooting was a big difference in the game. LVC shot 24-of-31 (77%) to Lycoming's 58% (14-of-24.) In overtime, LVC made 6-of-9 while Lycoming was only 3-of-8.
The proficiency at the charity stripe helped LVC overcome a tough night at from the field. The Flying Dutchmen shot just 36% from the field, making only 28-of-78 attempts. LVC was careful with the ball, however, with only 12 turnovers while pulling down a season-best 55 rebounds.
LVC had four players in double figures, led by Schultz' 21 points. She scored 13 of those in the second half - includng three treys. Borgia added 17 points while Hoover scored 15 and Amanda Donia sent in 14. The rebound numbers were evenly spread over all eight players who saw action for the Dutchmen. Caitlin Murphy led the way with nine boards (eight of which were at the offensive end) while Hoover came up with seven and four players had six.
Leid had a team-high 21 points for Lycoming and the dup of Zerbee and Ober added 13 apiece.
The Flying Dutchmen are now 5-0 and 1-0 in conference play. Lyco falls to 1-5 and 0-1 in the conference.
