Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. - #8 Messiah College vaulted out to a huge second-half lead and never stepped off the gas, topping Lebanon Valley 71-59 in a Commonwealth Conference game on Saturday.

The Falcons (20-2, 9-0 CC) all but wrapped up the league's top playoff seed in winning their 45th consecutive home conference game. The Dutchmen (13-7, 6-3 CC) dropped their fourth game in seven outings.

Rebounding was the major advantage for the Falcons, who held a 44-32 lead on the glass, including a 15-10 edge in offensive boards.

Messiah shot an improved 50 percent in the second half as it turned a 10-point halftime lead into a massive 25-point advantage midway through the half. LVC shot 34 percent from the floor.

Lori Lidlow led all scorers with 21 points, and Andrea Hoover added 12. Sal Shani had a massive double-double with 16 points and 19 rebounds for Messiah.

LVC kept within striking distance in the first half despite a six-minute cold snap at the tail-end of the half that saw Messiah work the lead to 15. The Dutchmen ended with a 5-2 spurt capped by Lidlow's buzzer-beating three-pointer to cut the halftime score to 30-20.

But the Dutchmen again went cold to start the second half, and the Falcons took full advantage as they ballooned the lead to 25 on Christa Wenrich's three-pointer with 7:56 to go.

Lebanon Valley pulled back some point in the waning minutes with a jumper by Lidlow and Eryn Schultz's three-pointer, but it was too little, too late.

LVC will return home Wednesday night to host Arcadia University in the annual PinkZone game. All proceeds from the game will benefit the American Cancer Society of Lebanon.