Lebanon Valley 78, Widener 69

LVC Starters
Light, Conrad, Orr, Boccanfuso, Mrozek

Widener Starters
Byrd, Nicholson, Sambo, Green, Jackson

How It Happened
Andy Orr scored a career-high 35 points, Will Boccanfuso grabbed 12 rebounds, and Lebanon Valley put together a strong second half en route to a 78-69 victory over Widener on Wednesday night.

After leading by as many as 17 points midway through the first half, the Flying Dutchmen (11-4, 5-1 MAC Commonwealth) found themselves deadlocked at 38 with the Pride (5-9, 1-5 MAC Commonwealth) at the break thanks to the visitors' 26-9 run entering halftime.

LVC never trailed, however, as the Dutchmen mounted a charge midway through the second half to lead by 14 on two separate occasions. Orr put an exclamation point on his team's wave of momentum by slamming home an alley-oop dunk off a beautiful find from Ricky Bugg with 11:11 remaining.

The Pride closed to within four following a Sardayah Sambo dunk with 4:05 left to play, but Boccanfuso's only basket of the game, an old-fashioned 3-point play on the ensuing possession, came at the perfect moment and ended any chance of a Widener comeback.

The visitors failed to convert down the stretch and were forced to foul as the seconds ticked away. Sam Light and Travis Conrad combined to sink eight free throws in the game's final 1:53 to seal the all-important conference victory.

Turning Point
With LVC holding a slim four-point advantage with less than four minutes to play, Will Boccanfuso sliced into the lane, absorbed contact from a Widener defender, and converted a layup while being fouled. The sophomore knocked down the ensuing free throw to complete the old-fashioned 3-point play and give the Dutchmen breathing room they wouldn't relinquish down the stretch.

Top Performer
Andy Orr – Ho hum. Another game, another stellar outing from the sophomore big man. Orr earned a spot on the D3hoops.com Men's Basketball Team of the Week thanks to his career night in a win over Stevenson last Wednesday and he followed it up with an even better effort against the Pride. He poured in a career-high 35 points on 12-19 shooting from the field with three triples and an 8-for-9 night at the charity stripe. The MAC Commonwealth's leading-scorer added six rebounds, two blocks, and a pair of steals.

Top Play
The Dutchmen broke the Widener press when Sam Light split a double team and found Ricky Bugg near midcourt. Bugg lobbed a perfect pass for a streaking Andy Orr and the big man threw it down in transition to bring the Sorrentino Gymnasium crowd to its feet midway through the second half.
 


Inside the Numbers
- LVC increased its win-streak to five games. It's the team's longest such streak since November of 2011.
- The Dutchmen currently lead the MAC Commonwealth in scoring (80.1 ppg), field goal percentage (.488), and 3-point shooting percentage (.388).
- Andy Orr and Sam Light combine to make up the conference's top-scoring duo. Orr is the league's top scorer, averaging 21.5 points per contest, while Light ranks second with a 17.1 ppg average.
- Light and Travis Conrad joined Orr as Dutchmen to reach the double-digit scoring mark. Light netted 19 and Conrad scored 11 to go along with his nine rebounds.
- Will Boccanfuso's 12 rebounds were a game-high. He also added three steals, defensively.
- Ricky Bugg had a great second half off the bench for LVC, netting six points, grabbing six boards, and swiping two steals.
- Kendall Green scored a team-high 18 points for the Pride. David Nicholson had 14, John Fender netted 13, and Ryan McMahon added 12.
- Widener was whistled for four technical fouls on Wednesday night.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen travel to Lycoming on Saturday afternoon for a matchup between the MAC Commonwealth's top two teams.