Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. - #25/23 Lebanon Valley used aggressive defense to hold #9/10 Messiah to a season-low in scoring as it swept the season series from the Falcons, 52-39, at Brubaker Auditorium Friday night.

With the win, the Dutchmen (20-2, 10-1 CC) control their own destiny in the Commonwealth Conference playoff race with three games left, while the Falcons (18-3, 8-2 CC) had their 51-game home conference win streak snapped with the loss.

Andrea Hoover led LVC with 14 points and four assists, and Eryn Schultz drained nine points on three three-pointers. But the Dutchmen defense was the big story as they held Messiah to 32 percent shooting and a lone three-pointer, limiting leading scorers Julie Henninger and Dori Gyori to a combined nine points.

The Dutchmen swept the season series for the first time since the 2001-02 season, but now have a less than 24-hour turnaround before playing Albright at home Saturday. The LVC-Messiah match-up was pushed to Friday due to the recent snowstorm.

The Dutchmen got off to a big start, bolting out to a 14-2 lead, and maintained a double-digit advantage when Suzie Noyes drained a three-pointer with 7:17 left.

The Falcons adapted defensively, and that trey would be LVC's final basket of the half as Messiah finished with a 10-0 run that tightened the game to 23-20 at the break.

Hoover finally ended a 9:03 scoring drought with back-to-back jumpers to start the second half, and LVC worked some breathing room on Schultz's three and a Caitlin Murphy three-point play to go up 33-24.

The Dutchmen kept the lead in that range before going back up 11 on Schultz's third three-ball of the game with 5:25 left, and they held it there for the balance of the game as Messiah never got closer than 11 in the final five minutes.