LVC Starters
Cirucci, Rothert, Carper, Umbrell, Lantz

Washington & Jefferson Starters
Medovich, Bellhy, Cortazzo, Delgreco, Dunlap

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley held off a tough Washington & Jefferson team to advance to the ECAC South Championship game, riding Peyton Carper's 21 points to a 63-57 win at Albright's Bollman Center.

The second-seeded Dutchmen (20-9) will visit the top-seeded Lions, a 61-59 winner over Moravian, Sunday at 2 p.m. for the ECAC title. The two teams split their regular-season series, with each winning at home.

LVC led wire-to-wire but it wasn't easy, as the Presidents (21-8) nearly erased double-digit leads twice in the second half. Runs of 6-0 and 10-0 in the first half established a solid lead for Lebanon Valley, but W&J chipped away and pulled within two baskets early in the second. After a pair of Jaime Tedesco free throws cut it to 48-44 with 6:26 to go, LVC caught fire behind Carper as she scored 10 points in a 13-2 run to put LVC ahead 15, its largest lead, with 2:22 to go.

That seemingly ended things, but the Presidents pulled out a stunning 11-0 run over the next two minutes to bring the score back to 61-57. That prompted LVC to put its starters back on the floor, and Bridget Rothert made a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds to go to ice the game.

Notables
- The ECAC final appearance will be LVC's first since 2007-08, when they coincidentally lost to Washington & Jefferson. LVC last won the tournament in 2002-03.
- Carper turned in the best all-around game of her career, tying her collegiate-best with 21 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists. The junior shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and 8-for-14 overall.
- Bridget Rothert and Alyssa Cirucci each added 11 points. Cirucci shot 3-for-5 from the outside and had eight of her 11 in the first half.
- For the second straight game and third time in four outings, Rothert hit a buzzer-beater to end the first half. Unlike her 35-footer in the quarterfinals against Delaware Valley, her shot against W&J was a catch-and-release 18-foot jumper from Rachel Kelly, who saved Alex Lehman's last-ditch three-pointer from going out of bounds.
- Turnovers hurt W&J early, as their 11 first-half giveaways led to 12 of LVC's 32 points. The Presidents ended with 19 turnovers in the game.
- LVC's defense contained the Presidents' 6-3 center Valerie Dunlap in the first half, holding her to no points and three boards, but she emerged for a team-high 15 in the second half to go with eight rebounds.
- Three Dutchmen had five or more assists: Rothert (6), Cirucci (5), and Carper (5).
- Rachel Kelly blocked a career-high four shots.
- LVC drained eight three-pointers to only one for W&J; the Presidents came into the game ranked 10th in the nation in three-point shooting but made only one of nine attempts.

Stat of the Game
23.0 - Peyton Carper's game-high efficiency rating as she packed the stat sheet with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal.

Next Up
LVC returns to Albright's Bollman Center to face the Lions Sunday at 2 p.m. for the ECAC South Championship.