Men's Basketball
Lebanon Valley 73, Babson 72
at Land of Magic Classic, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Box Score

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Joe Meehan made two game-clinching free throws with four seconds left as Lebanon Valley held off a late Babson rally to win, 73-72, in the Land Of Magic Classic at Embry-Riddle University in Florida.

The Dutchmen (7-4) had led by double digits midway through the second half, but the Beavers (4-6) stormed back with hot shooting in the second half, including two three-pointers in the final seven seconds of the game.

Meehan ended up with a career-high 10 assists to go with 14 points to record a double-double (and was four rebounds shy of a triple-double), and Anthony Trautman crossed 20 points for the fourth consecutive game, leading all scorers with his 21. Danny Brooks added 19 points, while Grant Becker turned in a career-high 12 rebounds.

Babson was paced by Russell Baithwaite's 17 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Palazini scored 13 off the bench.

The Beavers came back twice from a double-digit deficit, first erasing a 14-point LVC lead in the first half before nearly coming back from 15 down midway through the second half. After taking a 58-43 lead with 13:16 left in the game, the Dutchmen gave up a 13-2 run to Babson over the next five minutes, but a Trautman three-pointer stopped the run and put LVC back up by eight.

Babson wouldn't go away, though, holding LVC scoreless after Brooks' layup with 4:36 left until Meehan sank a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left. Fortunately for the Dutchmen, Babson couldn't score in the meantime, with just a Braithwaite basket making it a three-point game.

After Meehan and Matt Florio traded free throws, Trautman made one of two to make it a two-bucket game with 18 seconds, and Grant Becker padded the lead with one shot eight seconds later. Palazini made it interesting with a quick three-pointer at the other end, but Meehan was fouled and sank both free throws with four seconds left to ice the game. Peter Foley canned a trey at the buzzer, but it wasn't enough as LVC held on for the one-point win.

The Dutchmen will stay in the Sunshine State to take on Denison Wednesday night at 8 p.m.