Lebanon Valley 72, Messiah 67

LVC Starters
Orr, Light, Conrad, Mrozek, Boccanfuso

Messiah Starters
McHenry, Clippinger, Long, Murren, Hess

How It Happened
It was raining 3-balls at Messiah on Tuesday night. The Falcons made more shots from range but Lebanon Valley hit the last and most important one and the Flying Dutchmen held on for a hard-fought 72-67 victory, earning a postseason berth in the process.

Sam Light showed no fear when he lined up and drained a 3-pointer from the left elbow to answer a Falcon go-ahead triple on the previous possession and put LVC (14-9, 9-6 MAC Commonwealth) ahead 64-63 with 1:41 left to play.

Still trailing by one point, Messiah (6-18, 3-12 MAC Commonwealth) turned the ball over with 37 seconds remaining and was forced to foul in the closing moments. Zach Mrozek and Andy Orr combined to bury eight straight free throws and clinch the all-important late-season victory for the Dutchmen.

The Falcons erased a 13-point first-half deficit to draw even with LVC at halftime. Messiah led by as many as eight points before the Dutchmen drew even thanks to an 8-0 run that culminated in Travis Conrad's second 3-ball of the second half.

The home team responded with five straight points but Lebanon Valley showed poise, locking down defensively and scoring the game's next 10 points. Kyler Burke laid one in on the baseline, Orr converted an old-fashioned 3-point play, and Conrad stayed hot, burying back-to-back jumpers including one from beyond the arc that put LVC up 61-56 with 5:36 remaining.

Another run, this time a 7-0 Falcon spurt, was nullified when Light calmly knocked down the go-ahead triple with less than two minutes left to play.

The Dutchmen took their largest lead of the game when Light converted a layup to make it 21-8 at the 10:09 mark of the first half. Will Boccanfuso's layup at the 6:19 mark made it 26-15 LVC but Messiah closed out the half on a 17-6 run to draw even heading into the break.

Turning Point
After Messiah's Josh Clippinger nailed a triple to put the Falcons ahead 63-61 with 2:37 left to play, Sam Light showed off the ice water in his veins when he knocked down a 3-ball of his own on LVC's ensuing possession to put the Dutchmen back out in front with 1:41 remaining. Lebanon Valley never trailed again.

It Was Over When...
Messiah's bench was whistled for a technical foul with 12 seconds remaining and LVC leading 66-64. Zach Mrozek converted both technical free throws and Andy Orr followed it up by knocking down a pair of his own to make it a two-possession game in the closing seconds.

Top Performer
Travis Conrad - A number of LVC players came up big on Tuesday night. Andy Orr scored a game-high 26 points. Sam Light showed off his clutch gene by hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining. But Travis Conrad seemed to break out of a recent shooting slump when his team needed him most. Not only did he net 14 points, he poured in 11 of them in the second half, including five straight to break a stalemate and put LVC ahead 61-56 with 5:34 remaining.

Inside the Numbers
- The teams combined to make 22 3-pointers on the night. Messiah converted 12 (54.5 percent) and the Dutchmen added 10 (50 percent).
- From the field, LVC outshot the Falcons 48 percent to 43.3 percent.
- Lebanon Valley managed 22 points in the paint compared to just 14 for Messiah.
- Andy Orr continued to play like one of the MAC Commonwealth's top players, netting a game-high 26 points and adding nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals.
- Sam Light and Travis Conrad joined Orr as double-digit scorers. Light netted 15 and Conrad added 14. Both players shot better than 50 percent from the field, with both grabbing four boards and Conrad adding four assists.
- Kyler Burke and Caleb Barwin added big shots during a key stretch midway through the second half. Burke finished with four points and Barwin knocked down a 3-ball.
- Garret McHenry and Josh Clippinger netted 14 points apiece to lead Messiah. Willie Hope dished out a game-high eight assists.

Playoff Positioning
The victory clinched Lebanon Valley a spot in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament. A win over Lycoming in Saturday's season-finale would earn the Dutchmen the tourney's no. 2 seed and a home playoff game. A loss and LVC would drop to third in the standings and have to travel to Lyco for a rematch in the semifinal round next week.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen wrap up the regular season when they host Lycoming on Saturday afternoon.