No. 16 Messiah 73, Lebanon Valley 42
 
LVC Starters
Lehr, Evans, Bamberger, Scarff, Mealey
 
Messiah Starters
Hoff, Thornton, Fairbanks, Smoluk, Rohrer
 
How It Happened
Lebanon Valley hung with No. 16 Messiah for two quarters before succumbing to one of the nation's top teams in a 73-42 loss at Sorrentino Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 17.
 
Becky Evans scored a team-high 12 points and grabbed four rebounds for the Flying Dutchmen (14-11, 9-7 MAC Commonwealth), while Caroline Scarff and Emily Mealey added six points apiece. Morgan Bamberger scored five points and Anne Lehr and Jen Kaufman finished with four tallies each.
 
Bamberger had the hot hand for LVC in the early going, scoring all five of her points in the opening quarter. A layup by Mealey sandwiched between a pair of Lehr jumpers drew the Dutchmen to within six at 19-13 after the first 10 minutes.
 
Both teams opened the second quarter with a three-plus minute scoring drought before Kaufman finally broke through with a driving left-handed layup at with 6:51 left in the first half. The Falcons (23-2, 15-1 MAC Commonwealth) stretched their lead to nine before a Mealey layup off a Lehr assist cut the deficit to six at the 2:06 mark. Messiah added the final four points of the quarter to take a 34-24 lead into halftime.
 
The visitors found their rhythm after the break and scored 20 points in the third quarter, while holding Lebanon Valley to just 11 tallies during the stretch. Armed with a 19-point lead heading into the final stanza, the Falcons opened the fourth with a 9-0 run that ballooned the advantage to 30 points and effectively put things out of reach of the Dutchmen.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Messiah scored 28 points off Dutchmen turnovers.
- The Falcons were dominant on the glass and finished with a 43-22 rebounding advantage.
- Becky Evans posted team-highs of 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
- Anne Lehr dished out a team-best five assists to go along with four points.
- Jen Kaufman displayed some aggressiveness in scoring four points off the bench.
- Emily Mealey had six points, three boards, a block, and a steal.
- Caroline Scarff finished with six points, two assists, and two rebounds before fouling out.
- Leah Springer recorded a double-double for Messiah with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
- Alecia Rohrer also netted 16 points for the Falcons.
 
Playoff Position
With the regular season in the books, LVC now turns its attention to the postseason. The Dutchmen earned the No. 5 seed in next week's MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament and will travel to Stevenson for the tourney's play-in game on Monday night. Messiah is the top seed, Albright earned the second seed, and Lycoming is the No. 3. The victor of the play-in game will travel to Messiah for semifinal action on Wednesday night.
 
Senior Day
Prior to Saturday's contest, Lebanon Valley's lone senior Becky Evans was honored during a Senior Day ceremony. The past two seasons, Evans helped lead the Dutchmen to a pair of postseason appearances. In her 46 games as the point guard for LVC, she ranked among the team's top scorers and leaders in assists and minutes played.
 
Who's Next?
The Dutchmen travel to Stevenson to take on the Mustangs in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Play-In Game on Monday night, Feb. 19.

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