Widener 91, Lebanon Valley 78
 
LVC Starters
Light, Bugg, Anderson, Orr, Boccanfuso
 
Widener Starters
Boyd, Drews, Smith, Sambo, McMahon
 
How It Happened
Lebanon Valley struggled down the stretch in the team's 91-78 setback to Widener at Sorrentino Gymnasium on Wednesday night, Jan. 31.
 
The Flying Dutchmen (14-7, 8-4 MAC Commonwealth) got solid contributions from their 1-2 punch of Sam Light and Andy Orr, with Light netting a game-high 27 points and Orr recording a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Unfortunately, very few of those points came in the final minutes when needed most. With the score tied at 70 following a tip-in by Andrew Eberhart with 5:58 remaining, the Pride (10-10, 4-7 MAC Commonwealth) put together a game-clinching 12-0 run that began with a Sardayah Sambo alley-oop dunk and ended with a Tyler Drew 3-pointer three minutes later.
 
LVC managed to cut the deficit to single digits when Orr converted a layup with 1:51 to play but it was too little too late. The visitors made shots and played excellent defense in the closing minutes, much like they did during the key run just moments before.
 
After taking a one-point lead into the break, the Dutchmen methodically worked their way out in front by as many as six points, as Orr's pair of free throws at the 14:41 mark increased the advantage to 56-50.  
 
Widener kept things close, never allowing the deficit to get out of hand despite big shots that included a driving layup off glass from Chris Anderson and a Ricky Bugg 3-ball for Lebanon Valley. Holding a 62-57 advantage with 10:30 left to play, the Dutchmen were unable to muster the knockout punch needed to send the visitors home with the loss.
 
Perhaps an bad omen for LVC, the Pride opened the game by converting their first five attempts from beyond the arc. Widener led by as much as 10 in the early going before the team's stellar shooting percentage from distance started to come back down to earth.
 
The Lebanon Valley comeback attempt was paced by Light's 22 first-half points. The shifty scorer managed to get to the foul line for 10 free throws and converted all of them, giving the Dutchmen a 45-44 lead at halftime.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Widener was lights out from beyond the arc to begin the game and finished with a 43.5 shooting percentage from 3-point territory.
- The Pride shot incredibly well on the whole and racked up a 55.6 shooting percentage from the field, while LVC managed a 42.6 percent clip.
- An indication of a tough second half, the Dutchmen got to the foul line 20 times in the first half but managed just six free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes.
- Widener's athleticism was on display as the team pushed the ball in crunch time, leading to 10 fastbreak points and 34 points in the paint.
- The Dutchmen won the rebounding battle 40-29, but the visitors committed five less turnovers than LVC.
- Sam Light scored a game-high 27 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of steals.
- Andy Orr recorded his ninth double-double of the season thanks to 20 points and a game-best 15 rebounds.
- Ricky Bugg had a solid night, finishing with nine points on 4-7 shooting and six boards.
- Chris Anderson, Zach Tucker, and Andrew Eberhart all finished with six points.
- Will Boccanfuso swiped a game-best three steals for LVC.
- Four Widener players reached the double-digit scoring mark, led by Tyler Drews' 25 points.
- Sardayah Sambo gave the Dutchmen trouble as he finished with 14 points, six assists, and five blocks.
 
Playoff Picture
With the loss, LVC now holds a share of second place in the MAC Commonwealth standings along with Albright thanks to identical 8-4 conference records. Nationally-ranked Lycoming currently owns the top spot and holds a two-game cushion over Lebanon Valley and the Lions.
 
Who's Next?
The Dutchmen host longtime rival Albright for a contest with major postseason implications on Saturday afternoon. The outing will also serve at the team's Make-A-Wish Game and is being held on Hot Dog Frank Day.
 
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