Back in the Commonwealth Conference championship game for the fourth year in a row, the Lebanon Valley College women's basketball team looks to continue its historic season and claim the program's first CC title. The first seeded Dutchmen host second seed Messiah Saturday afternoon with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.

Admission will be charged for all Commonwealth Conference playoff games. The cost for adults is $6, seniors is $4, students is $2 and children under six will get in free of charge.

On the Radio and the Web
The game will be heard live in the lower Susquehanna Valley on WWSM 1510 AM. The game can also be heard online at www.wmssfm.com, and live stats of the game will be available on GoDutchmen.com.

The Semifinals – How They Got Here
Double-doubles from Andrea Hoover and Suzie Noyes lifted Lebanon Valley to a 55-38 victory over Alvernia. Renee Fritz led the team in scoring for the second-straight contest, recording 16 points and two blocks. Hoover and Noyes both notched 10 points against the Crusaders, and Caitlin Murphy added eight points. Noyes led the team with 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, while Hoover dished out 10 assists for her second-straight double-double.

A 3-pointer by Murphy opened the game for LVC and the team didn't wait long to pull away, leading by double digits at the half way mark of the first. The Crusaders started the second half strong, coming within four points at 17:09 after two free throws by Alisa Greco. Lebanon Valley scored 19 straight points and held Alvernia to four points over the next nine minutes to reach a game-high 19 point lead. The Dutchmen registered four points, while the Crusaders scored six to end the game. Playing tough defense, Lebanon Valley held Alvernia under 40 points for the second-straight contest. It also marked the eighth game this season the Dutchmen have limited an opponent to 39 or fewer points.

In Grantham, Messiah posted a 74-63 win over Widener to advance to the title game. Tied 30-30 at the half, the Falcons used an early second half surge to push them to their ninth-straight win. The game marked Messiah's third semifinal win over Widener in the last four years and fourth in the last six, putting them in the league championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

Four players scored in double digits for the Falcons, led by 20 points from Kira Maier and 19 from Taylor Miller. Rounding out the scoring, Michele Schleich added 11 points and Nicky Hess tallied 10 in the victory. Six players grabbed two or more rebounds, led by seven from Dori Gyori, while Maier and Schleich both tallied two steals each. The Falcons shot 47.7% in the game, went 36.4% from behind the arc, and 84.8% at the free throw line. Widener shot 40.7% from the floor, 30.8% from 3-point range, and 60% at the line.

The Season Series
The two split the season series this year. In the first meeting, Lebanon Valley posted a 46-32 win behind 10 points each from Suzie Noyes and Andrea Hoover, and limited the Falcons to its fewest points scored against the Dutchmen since 1974-75. Controlling the lead for the entire contest, LVC hit a game-high 20 point lead with just under five minutes remaining in the contest for the win.

Nicky Hess and Mira Maier scored 18 points each to lead Messiah to a 59-55 win over LVC five games ago, snapping the Dutchmen's 15 game win streak. Renee Fritz and Liz Borgia recorded a team-high 12 points each, while Suzie Noyes and Tierney Hiltz paced the squad with six rebounds each in the loss.

Scouting LVC
The Dutchmen swept the All-Commonwealth Conference honors as announced this week, with Andrea Hoover named Player of the Year, Lauren Ruhl Rookie of the Year, and Todd Goclowski Coach of the Year. Hoover and Suzie Noyes both earned first team nods for the third and second times, respectively … LVC ranks atop the CC in scoring defense (48.7), scoring margin (+19.9), field goal percentage (.458), field goal percentage defense (.324), 3-point field goal percentage (.356), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.270), rebounding defense (32.4), assists (16.5), and assist/turnover ratio (.9) … In the CC, Hoover ranks first in assists (5.8), third in free throw percentage (.798), first in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), and eighth in scoring (10.9). Fritz is first in field goal percentage (.561) and fourth in blocked shots (1.3).

Scouting Messiah
The Falcons are on a nine game winning streak … Dori Gyori earned First Team All-Commonwealth Conference honors, and Michele Schleich was named second team as announced earlier this week … Messiah ranks second in the CC in scoring defense (51.0), scoring margin (+8.6), field goal percentage (.412), field goal percentage defense (.362), and rebounding defense (34.7) … Dori Gyori ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (.545), third in blocked shots (38), sixth in scoring (12.8), and sixth in rebounding (8.4).

Noting the CC Playoffs
LVC is making its tenth appearance in the MAC or Commonwealth Conference playoffs ... LVC has a 5-9 all-time playoff record ... This is LVC's second-straight #1 seeding, and third overall ... LVC has never won the conference title, but has reached the final four times, in 2001-02, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 … LVC and Messiah have met four times in the playoffs; the Dutchmen have yet to record a victory over the Falcons … The two teams met last season, with Messiah posting a 60-55 win.