Box Score Men's Basketball
Lebanon Valley 70, Albright 58

Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Lebanon Valley jumped right back into the Commonwealth Conference playoff race, beating Albright for the first time since 2006, 70-58, behind 42 combined points from Joe Meehan and Anthony Trautman.

With the first half of conference play over, the Dutchmen (11-6, 3-4 CC) pulled within a game of Albright and Widener (a 76-75 overtime loser to Elizabethtown) for the CC's fourth and final playoff spot. The Lions (12-6, 4-3 CC) had won seven straight over LVC dating back to their first meeting in the 2006-07 season, and it was the first home win over Albright for LVC since 2004.

Meehan scored 22 points to go with six rebounds and six assists, and Trautman drained 20, including three three-pointers, to lead the Dutchmen. Defense carried the game, however, as LVC largely neutralized Albright's dangerous guards and held them to 36.7% shooting overall. Zac Shaeffer and Matt Ashcroft, averaging a combined 28.2 points per game, were held to five and nine, respectively.

Grant Becker added 10 points and nine rebounds for LVC, and Danny Brooks did well with 12 points and six boards going up against 6-11 Albright center Derek Hall, who led Albright with 13 points and 10 boards. Cornell Mickens scored 14 off the bench for the Lions.

The Dutchmen also won it at the line, making just 23 of 36 tries but sending the Lions only eight times, where they went 5-for-8.

Lebanon Valley never trailed, taking the lead on Trautman's opening three-pointer and opening it up to 10 at 16-6 midway through the first half. A 7-1 Albright run cut the lead to a basket, but LVC responded with a solid run to end the half, finishing with another Trautman three to take a 33-25 lead into the break.

The Dutchmen never trailed by less than that for the rest of the game, holding their lead around 10 for most of the second half until a 5-0 run opened it up to 15 midway through at 53-38. Albright answered back and got as close as nine off Hall's layup with 2:13 to go, but LVC got it done at the line, making enough shots and getting a key wide-open layup from Brooks with 42 seconds left to hang on.

Lebanon Valley will host FDU-Florham Tuesday night at 7:30 in their final non-league game of the year.