Messiah 68, Lebanon Valley 67

LVC Starters
Davis, Light, Conrad, Boccanfuso, Orr

Messiah Starters
McWilliams, Hess, Cable, Clippinger, Long

How It Happened
As has been a trend over the course of the 2016-17 campaign, Lebanon Valley dropped a close game in closing moments on Saturday afternoon when the team fell by a 68-67 margin at Messiah thanks to a Matt Hess game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left.

The Flying Dutchmen (15-9, 9-6 MAC Commonwealth) erased an eight-point halftime deficit and regained the advantage when a Marquis Davis steal led to a Sam Light layup in transition that made it 56-55 in favor of the visitors with 6:09 remaining.

The teams traded the lead three times over the next four minutes before Travis Conrad buried back-to-back three-balls to erase a three-point hole and give LVC a 64-61 cushion with less than two minutes left to play.

Conrad was fouled with 35 seconds remaining and his pair of free throws kept the Dutchmen advantage at three following a Rob McWilliams fastbreak layup two possessions prior. The Falcons' Colin Sareyka cut the lead to one with 26 seconds left and Light converted the second of two free throws on LVC's next trip down the floor to make it 67-65.

Messiah (12-10, 7-7 MAC Commonwealth) used a timeout with 10 ticks left and Hess knocked down what proved to be the game-winner off a find from McWilliams in the final seconds. Following a pair of timeouts, Lebanon Valley got the ball to Light off the inbound but the Falcon defense kept him from getting a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.

The teams traded the lead seven times in the first 10 minutes of the contest before an old-fashioned three-point play by Josh Clippinger gave the home team a 28-20 advantage at the 6:43 mark of the first half.

LVC climbed to within three following a pair of free throws from Andy Orr and a jumper by Light before the Falcons scored the final four points of the half to take a 43-35 lead into the break.

Inside the Numbers
- For LVC, the loss was the team's eighth of the season to come by six points or less. Only a season-opening defeat at Division I George Mason came by more than six tallies.
- In one of the game's most telling statistics, the Dutchmen shot just 66.7 percent from the foul line, missing 10 free throws to finish 20-30 on the day.
- Lebanon Valley outshot the Falcons from both the field (45.7 percent to 41.8 percent) and three-point territory (35.7 percent to 29.4 percent).
- Messiah won the rebounding battle 37-30 and scored 23 points off turnovers, compared to just eight scored by LVC.
- Sam Light netted a game-high 17 points for the Dutchmen.
- Andy Orr scored 15 and added six rebounds, two blocks, and a pair of assists.
- Travis Conrad and Will Boccanfuso each added 11 points, with Conrad burying three triples and Boccanfuso finishing one rebound shy of a double-double with nine.
- Marquis Davis dished out a game-high eight assists to go along with two steals and a block.
- Rob McWilliams led the way for the Falcons with a team-high 15 points, while Matt Hess and Colin Sareyka added 11 and 10, respectively.

Playoff Positioning
Despite the defeat, LVC remains tied with Albright for second in the MAC Commonwealth standings thanks to the Lions' loss to Lycoming on Saturday afternoon. The Dutchmen can clinch a spot in the league's postseason tournament with a win over Lycoming in the regular-season finale on Tuesday night, or a loss by Messiah in either one of its final two contests.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen return home for their regular-season finale on Tuesday night. LVC hosts conference-leading Lyco at Sorrentino Gymnasium at 8 p.m.