Box Score
WBB at Messiah Gallery
Women's Basketball
Lebanon Valley 56, Messiah 52
GRANTHAM, Pa. – #18 Lebanon Valley led by 11 points with under eight minutes to play before a 17-6 run by Messiah tied the game at 52-52.
But a layup by
Gia Russo and a pair of free throws by
Kiely Chaklos gave LVC a four-point edge, and that was enough to clinch a 56-52 win Wednesday night.
On a larger scale, the points clinched a fifth-consecutive Commonwealth Conference playoff berth. The worst the team can now finish is 9-5 in conference play; fifth-place Lycoming can also potentially finish 9-5, the Dutchmen (18-2, 9-0 CC) swept them in two regular season meetings for the tiebreaker.
For the ninth time this season,
Tierney Hiltz led Dutchmen scorers—this time with 11 points. She scored her first four in a 16-2 run that gave LVC its first lead of the game and put them up 16-8 with 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Messiah's Kira Maier tied the game at 19-19 with 1:27 on the clock, but
Renee Fritz gave LVC a two-point edge with a layup 34 seconds before the break.
Liz Borgia led Dutchmen scorers in the second half with nine points, including a three pointer during the Falcons final push. She shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the half.
Caitlin Murphy scored 10 total points for LVC, including a perfect 2-for-2 mark from beyond the arc. Chaklos and
Caitlin Bach shared the team lead with seven rebounds each.
Maier led Messiah (16-4, 7-2) with a game-high 16 points. Nicky Hess followed with another 14 points.
Wednesday's win extends the Dutchmen's winning streak to eight games; they have not lost since Jan. 2 against Franklin & Marshall.
LVC plays at Alvernia Saturday at 1 p.m. and hosts Elizabethtown in the fifth annual Pink Game next Wednesday at 6 p.m.
