Albright 71, Lebanon Valley 54
 
LVC Starters
Lehr, Evans, Bamberger, Scarff, Mealey
 
Albright Starters
Lea, Joyce, Horka, Mazzarelli, Lofton
 
How It Happened
Lebanon Valley put together two solid quarters of basketball against the MAC Commonwealth leaders from Albright on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 3. Unfortunately, the Lions sandwiched outstanding second and third periods between LVC's first and fourth to leave Sorrentino Gymnasium with a 71-54 victory.
 
Becky Evans scored a team-high 12 points for the Flying Dutchmen (13-9, 8-5 MAC Commonwealth) and Caroline Scarff netted 11 of her own. Veronica Venezia chipped in with a team-best nine rebounds and six points off the bench.
 
LVC hung tough with the visitors in the early going and cut an eight-point deficit to 16-14 at the end of the first quarter thanks to an 8-2 run that saw Venezia, Emily Mealey, Evans, and Scarff all contribute buckets.
 
Albright found its rhythm and made a push in the second quarter, eventually stretching the advantage to double-digits when Jane Joyce knocked down a jumper at the 5:03 mark. The Lions grabbed their largest lead of the half at 13 on two occasions but the Dutchmen again stiffened and drew to within nine when Anne Lehr converted an old-fashioned 3-point play, Tamara Hanson hit a jump shot in the paint, and Scarff buried a free throw before halftime.
 
The Lions wrestled the game away after the break, however, when they opened the second half with a 23-4 run. Lebanon Valley was outscored 29-8 during the third quarter and faced a 30-point hole heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
The Dutchmen didn't roll over in the fourth but they did run out of time. Facing a deficit as large as 32 points early in the frame, LVC fought back into it and came to within 13 points following Molly Galvin's 3-ball with little more than a minute to play but the team's late comeback push proved too little, too late.
 
Inside the Numbers
- LVC managed a 33.3 percent shooting effort from the floor but finished just 2-12 from 3-point territory.
- The Lions found their stride in the second half en route to shooting 49.2 percent from the field.
- Albright won the rebounding battle 45-35.
- Nina Mazzarelli made all six of the visitors' 3-point field goals.
- The Dutchmen swiped 12 steals and scored 12 points off Albright turnovers.
- Becky Evans scored a team-high 12 points and added three rebounds, two steals, two assists, and a block.
- Caroline Scarff was the second LVC player to reach the double-digit scoring mark with 11.
- Veronica Venezia pulled in a team-best nine rebounds to go along with six points.
- Anne Lehr dished out a game-high six assists and added seven points.
- Emily Mealey had six points on 50 percent shooting in 19 minutes of action.
- Molly Galvin added five points off the bench.
- Tamara Hanson swiped three steals in seven minutes of play.
- Alysha Lofton finished with a double-double for the Lions with 13 points and 10 boards.
 
Playoff Picture
Despite the loss, LVC clinched a playoff berth on Saturday. The Dutchmen currently sit fourth in the MAC Commonwealth standings and hold a two-game advantage over Stevenson. Lebanon Valley is currently chasing Albright, Messiah, and Lycoming for postseason positioning.
 
Who's Next?
The Dutchmen return to action when they travel to Arcadia on Wednesday night, Feb. 7.

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