Lebanon Valley 58, Messiah 54

LVC Starters
Cirucci, Chaklos, Carper, Troutman, Umbrell

Messiah Starters
Chavous, Seamon, Eyerkuss, Fairbanks, Glackin

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley flexed its defensive muscles and ended Messiah's eight-game win streak by edging the Falcons 58-54 on Wednesday night in MAC Commonwealth women's basketball action at Sorrentino Gymnasium. Another signature win from the Dutchmen improved their record to 11-6, 5-3 MAC Commonwealth, while Messiah fell to 12-6, 6-2 MAC Commonwealth.

With LVC ahead 54-49 with 1:43 remaining in the contest, the Falcons' Jen Fairbanks drained a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 54-52. On the ensuing possession, Kiely Chaklos drew a foul that sent her to the line to shoot two free throws, and she proceeded to sink both, increasing the LVC to 56-52 with 39 seconds left.

On Messiah's next possession, Kaitlyn Hoff hit a layup with 30 seconds remaining, and with seven seconds to go, Taylor Umbrell was sent to the line with the hopes to finish off the Falcons. The senior stepped up and swished both foul shots, giving the Dutchmen the 58-54 lead and the thrilling victory.

Points were hard to come by in the first two quarters, with both defenses not allowing many high percentage shots. LVC leads the MAC Commonwealth in scoring defense, and tonight was no different. The Dutchmen held the Falcons to just 54 points, 9.5 points under their average of 63.5. After one quarter of action, LVC held the slight lead at 9-8.

LVC opened up their lead to five points in the second quarter with a Hilary Yoh layup at 7:03, but Messiah went on a mini run and came to within one at 13-12 with 5:53 remaining in the half. From there, a Troutman jumper and Chaklos layup put the Dutchmen back up by five at 17-12 with 4:25 to go. LVC kept its foot on the gas for the rest of the half and took a 22-14 advantage heading into halftime.

The Dutchmen kept the momentum heading into the third quarter and opened up their largest lead of the game at 33-19 with 6:48 left in the third off a Troutman jumper. From then until the end of the third quarter, LVC never led by less than eight and the Dutchmen had a 42-34 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, Messiah began the comeback and started the quarter of an 11-3 run to cut LVC's deficit to three at 45-42 with 6:27 left. The small lead was kept by the Dutchmen for the remainder of the game, as LVC trailed just once at 6-4 in the early stages of the first quarter.

Who Stood Out?
 - Troutman finished with a double double, scoring 12 points while bringing down 11 boards.
 - Chaklos led the Dutchmen with 13 points, and four assists.
 - Lexie Lanz was solid off the bench, totaling nine points and eight rebounds, six which were offensive.

Inside the Numbers
 - LVC outshot the Falcons from the floor 40.0%-37.5%.
 - The Dutchmen dominated in rebounds at 41-28.
 - LVC's bench outscored Messiah's 22-17.
 - The Dutchmen turned 14 turnovers by the Falcons into 15 points.
 - Hoff finished with a game-high 14 points for Messiah, while Dominique Seamon had 10.

D-Fense! D-Fense!
 Gillian Glackin, Messiah's leading scorer and rebounder, was held to just two points and one rebound.

Who's Next?
LVC heads to Reading on Saturday in a MAC Commonwealth showdown, looking for revenge against No. 23 Albright, who edged the Dutchmen 55-49 back on Dec. 5. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m., however Winter Storm Jonas may threaten the area on Saturday. Stay updated at GoDutchmen.com and follow on Twitter @LVCAthletics for the most up-to-date news about this weekend.