Box Score Women's Basketball
No. 20 Lebanon Valley College 83, Misericordia University 81 (OT)

DALLAS, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley women's basketball team rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to force overtime and take care of Misericordia on Tuesday evening in Dallas, 83-81.

Free throws down the stretch were huge for the Valley as sophomore Alyssa Cirucci and senior Caitlin Bach went four-for-five from the line in the final three minutes of the second half to force the game into an overtime session.

In the overtime, the teams traded buckets in the opening minutes before a Misericordia three-pointer from Sam Baro looked like it would shift momentum to the Cougars' favor. Instead, LVC stuck with it, as free throws from Bach and sophomore Taylor Umbrell, along with a jumper from senior Lauren Ruhl, tied the game at 79 with 1:08 to play.

Following a solid defensive possession, forcing a turnover by Misericordia's Justine Seely, junior Kiely Chaklos made the biggest play of the game, driving down the lane and finishing over the Cougar forwards for LVC's first lead of the overtime session. Once they got that lead, the Dutchmen never relinquished it, holding on for the 83-81 win.

Chaklos and Bach were the stars for the LVC offense on the evening with 21 and 19 points, respectively, while Bach added 11 rebounds for her third double-double in as many games this season. Additionally, freshman Lexie Lantz and Umbrell posted nine points, and sophomores Bridget Rothert and Peyton Carper added eight points apiece.

The Valley went 28-for-60 from the floor (46.7%) and made just two three-pointers on nine attempts, sticking to the gameplan to feed the post and work for opportunities in the paint.

Misericordia was excellent on the boards, outrebounding the Valley, 49-37. The Cougars' Hannah Seely led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds on the night, while four other players scored in double figures with Justine Seely posting 17 points, Katie Drayton and Lauren Smicherko tallying 12 points apiece, and Baro adding 11.

The Cougars went 35-for-79 from the field, shooting at a 44.3% clip. They went 2-for-10 from three-point range and 9-for-16 from the foul line (56.3%).

With the win, the Valley starts the season at 3-0 for the fifth straight year. LVC is back in action in Plattsburgh, N.Y. for the Plattsburgh Tournament this weekend. The Dutchmen tipoff with Clarkson on Friday evening at 8 p.m.