Commonwealth Conference Championship Game

Alvernia 57, Lebanon Valley 55

Box Score

Photo Gallery

READING, Pa. - A late Alvernia surge erased a Lebanon Valley lead and the Crusaders hung on to win the Commonwealth Conference championship, 57-55, on Saturday.

The loss snapped a memorable 11-game win streak for the Dutchmen (20-7), who had swept their way through the second half of conference play before returning to the final for the first time since 2004-05. LVC will now have to hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament (the field is announced Monday at 1 p.m.) or an ECAC Tournament berth.

Joe Meehan had 21 points to lead LVC; leading scorer Anthony Trautman was limited to 11 points by a tough Alvernia defense. 

Tournament MVP Tad Gillis finished with 10 points and six assists for Alvernia, and Cory Boone led the team with 15 points - all in the second half - and 14 rebounds, including a key three-point play in the final minute.

The Dutchmen suffered a slow start, but came back to take a second-half lead in a game that featured eight ties and six lead changes. Alvernia shot a red-hot 54.5% from the floor in the second half, however, as they came back to capture the title in front of an electric atmosphere on their home court.

Alvernia had led by as much as nine to start the second half, but a 15-4 LVC run took the lead midway through the half after Trautman's layup with 9:28 to go put LVC up 39-37.

It became a dogfight from there, with LVC never leading by more than three. The Dutchmen went up 51-48 on Joe Meehan's floater with 1:45 left, but Boone answered with a key three-point play seconds later, and Nerney followed with one of his own to cap a 6-0 swing and take the lead for good.

Meehan's jumper with 18 ticks remaining cut it to a one-basket game, but Boone made both of his foul shots at the other end, and Danny Brooks' consolation jumper fell too late for LVC to get another shot, ending it at 57-55.