Gwynedd Mercy 96, Lebanon Valley 81
 
LVC Starters
Light, Bugg, Anderson, Orr, Boccanfuso
 
GMU Starters
Sommers, Cubbage, Dunham, Engel, Davis
 
How It Happened
Gwynedd Mercy's hot shooting proved too much for Lebanon Valley to keep pace with in the team's 96-81 loss at Sorrentino Gymnasium on Wednesday night, Dec. 20.
 
Andy Orr posted his fifth double-double of the season thanks to 25 points and 11 rebounds, Sam Light netted 19, and Ricky Bugg added 11 tallies but it wasn't enough to overcome the visitors' timely shooting on this night, as the Griffins (8-1) shot a brisk 54 percent from the field, including hitting 11 buckets from 3-point territory.
 
Trailing but hanging around since late in the first half, the Flying Dutchmen (8-3) finally pulled back in front when Chris Anderson buried his lone 3-pointer of the game to make it 64-63 with 10:58 left to play. The squads traded the lead four times in the next two minutes, with back-to-back layups from Andrew Eberhart keeping LVC within striking distance.
 
Following a pair of Orr free throws that drew the Dutchmen to within one at the 8:30 mark, Gwynedd Mercy put together the game's key run and scored 10 points in a row over the ensuing two and a half minutes to stretch the Griffins' lead to 81-70 with 5:56 remaining.
 
Lebanon Valley was unable to get any momentum going down the stretch, failing to get stops when needed and trading baskets at best. After using a run-and-gun attack to push their advantage to double digits, the visitors changed their approach by bleeding the shot clock and making tough shots in the final minutes to preserve the hard-fought victory.
 
Following a back-and-forth flow to begin the game, the Dutchmen used a methodical approach and some solid ball movement to create some breathing room midway through the opening half. Good looks by Bugg and Light gave LVC its largest lead of the night at 21-13 at the 10:24 mark.
 
The Griffins scored the contest's next eight tallies and eventually reclaimed the lead for the first time since the opening moments when Rip Engel hit a jumper in transition from beyond the arc to make it 28-26 with 5:40 left before halftime.
 
The uptempo pacing and propensity to launch 3-balls of the Gwynedd Mercy offense allowed the visitors to jump out to a nine-point lead late in the first half. That same philosophy allowed LVC to climb back into it when a couple of errant triples led to six consecutive points for Lebanon Valley to end the half.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Gwynedd Mercy shot 54 percent from the field, while the Dutchmen managed a 38.5 percent shooting clip.
- LVC racked up 22 second chance points, while the visitors netted 48 of their points in the paint.
- The Griffins shot 40.7 percent (11-27) from beyond the arc, while Lebanon Valley only shot 22.7 percent from distance.
- The Dutchmen were solid from the free throw line, going 26-31 (83.9 percent) from the charity stripe.
- LVC won the rebounding battle 41-33.
- Andy Orr recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. He added three assists, two steals, and a block.
- Sam Light netted 19 points and pulled in four boards.
- Light (1,703) and Orr (1,651) now rank seventh and eighth, respectively, on LVC's all-time scoring list.
- Ricky Bugg also pulled in four rebounds to go along with 11 tallies.
- Will Boccanfuso pitched in with seven points, six boards, two assists, and a block.
- Chris Anderson also played well, finishing with five points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block.
- Andrew Eberhart and Luke Stambaugh each scored six points, with Eberhart adding four rebounds.
- Five Gwynedd Mercy players reached the double-digit scoring mark, with Rip Engel's 23 leading the way.
 
Who's Next?
The Dutchmen will enjoy the holidays before returning to action against Hamilton at Moravian's Roosevelt 21st Greyhound Classic on Saturday evening, Dec. 30.

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