ASTON, Pa. ­­– Sophomore forward Brielle Reidinger scored 10 points for the Lebanon Valley College women's basketball team in its season opener, as the program dropped a 69-49 game to Neumann University on Wednesday night at The Mirenda Center for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development. 

Lebanon Valley (0-1) competed until the final minute against Neumann (1-0), battling valiantly during the program's first contest of the year. The Knights went ahead early in the game and took the lead into halftime. The Dutchmen posted a strong effort throughout the remainder of the game, as the squad outscored the opposition in the second half. Ultimately, Neumann maintained its advantage through the end of the contest.
 
The Flying Dutchmen worked to get back into the game against the Knights throughout the first quarter, creating scoring chances after trailing by six points. Lebanon Valley responded with a 4-2 stretch over a span of 52 seconds, trimming Neumann's lead to 8-4. LVC got on the board with layups by sophomore guard Riley Hevelow and Reidinger. The Knights then went on a 10-4 run over the next 3:24, making it an 18-8 contest. The Dutchmen answered with a layup by junior guard Cristina Fernandez to add a pair of points. The squads went back and forth for the remainder of the first frame, but Neumann led 25-12 at the end of the opening quarter.

The Knights began the second quarter with an 11-2 run in the first 4:19, advancing the score to 36-14. Lebanon Valley responded with a pair of buckets, trimming its deficit by four points. The squad put some tallies on the board after senior Samya Santiague converted a jumper and Hevelow sent a jumper of her own into the hoop, with 4:21 left in the quarter. Neumann finished the second frame on an 8-4 run, taking a 44-22 advantage into halftime. 

The Flying Dutchmen converted some shots early in the second half, posting a 4-2 stretch over the first 2:34 of the third quarter. LVC received early offensive production on a jumper by Hevelow and a successful layup by senior guard Kate Fitzpatrick. The Knights followed this with a 10-4 run in the next 4:23, advancing the score to 56-30 with 3:03 to go in the third. Lebanon Valley continued to battle during the remainder of the frame, finishing the quarter on a 6-2 run to make it a 58-36 contest. The Flying Dutchmen ended the third on a high note with layups by Santiague, sophomore forward Kailey Eckhart and Fernandez.

Reidinger got Lebanon Valley's offense rolling early in the fourth quarter, scoring all six points during a 6-0 stretch that began just over a minute into the frame. The Flying Dutchmen advanced the score to 59-42 with 6:35 to play on two successful jumpers by the forward, as well as a pair of converted free throws. LVC continued to deliver a strong effort during the remaining minutes, but Neumann went on to close out the contest 69-49. 

Inside the Box Score

• Reidinger led Lebanon Valley with 10 points. The sophomore forward converted each of her four free throw attempts. 
• Fernandez recorded a team-most six rebounds while scoring eight points. The junior guard also dished out a pair of assists. 
• Eckhart tallied six points while logging a pair of assists. 
• Santiague and Hevelow also registered six points each for the Flying Dutchmen. 
• The Dutchmen recorded 21 total rebounds. 
• Hevelow and first-year Abbie Reed both had a pair of steals in the contest. 
• Lebanon Valley's bench scored 14 points. 

Up Next 
Lebanon Valley will return to the court at 6 p.m. Saturday, as the program will host Penn State Hazleton at Sorrentino Gymnasium in the Rinso Marquette Tournament. 

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