Box Score Women's Basketball
Lebanon Valley 70, Widener 59

Photo Gallery

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Lebanon Valley rallied back from a big first-half deficit to beat Widener in front of a packed LVC Gymnasium in the seventh annual Pink Game.

The Dutchmen (15-3, 9-2 CC) took sole possession of first place in the Commonwealth Conference with the win and Elizabethtown's loss to Messiah ahead of LVC's home clash with the Blue Jays on Saturday. LVC swept the season series from the Pride (10-8, 5-6 CC) in a rematch of last year's CC tournament semifinals.

Bridget Rothert had 15 points and Caitlin Bach scored 12 to move within five of reaching 1,000 for her career. Peyton Carper dished out a career-high five assists to go with eight points.

The game, dedicated to raising funds and awareness of breast cancer, raised more than $10,000 for the American Cancer Society of Lebanon and the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute's Genetics Program. The crowd of 1,435 was treated to a terrific second half after LVC clawed back from 16 down in the first.

"An incredible atmosphere," coach Todd Goclowski said after he saw his team improve to 6-1 in the Pink Game. "I love our LVC community and the supporters of women's basketball are the best fans I know. The Pink Game is the most fun game I've ever coached, our players all say it's the most fun game they've ever played. So it's a great night, but it's all for an important cause."

After hitting virtually nothing in the early going and spotting Widener an 18-2 lead. The Dutchmen slowly chipped away, and hit a 9-0 run late in the first half to pare Widener's lead from 14 down to five, before pulling even closer - 36-32 - with Lauren Ruhl's three-pointer to end the half.

The Dutchmen managed their first lead when a Lexie Lantz bucket made it 41-40 early in the second half, and a defensive clampdown helped stifle Widener into a five-minute scoring drought. Key in that sequence were a pair of drawn charges by Rothert that ignited the crowd.

"We turned the game on the defensive end and got in better position to stop their drives," Goclowski said. "I think drawing charges on consecutive possessions was the turning point of the game."

Peyton Carper hit a long three-pointer with 9:27 left to go up five, and LVC never led by less than two buckets from there, going up nine on another Carper trifecta later in the half and answering Widener the whole way.

LVC shot 38.5 percent for the game, but a much-improved 14-for-31 (46.2%) after the half following an 11-for-34 (32.4) first. The Pride shot 46.9 percent for the game but turned the ball over 19 times to LVC's six.