ANNVILLE, Pa. ­­– Kyle Tang helped lead the way for the Lebanon Valley College men's basketball team on Saturday, Dec. 16, scoring 21 points in the program's 73-58 victory over Gwynedd Mercy University at Sorrentino Gymnasium. 

The Dutchmen (2-8) made a statement early in the game, jumping out to a 15-0 lead over the Griffins (4-6) 5:54 into the contest. Evin Timochenko got the offense rolling just over two minutes into the first half, making a pair of layups within 22 seconds. Luis Garcia then put the squad up 7-0 with a three-point play 19 seconds later, drawing a foul on a fastbreak jumper and converting the free throw. Evan Smith followed this with a three-pointer, before a pair of successful free throws with 15:38 remaining in the stanza. Tang capped off the early scoring stretch by knocking down a three-pointer, extending LVC's advantage to 15 points with 14:06 to play.

Gwynedd Mercy responded with a 12-5 run, advancing the score to 20-12 in favor of Lebanon Valley with 10:15 left in the opening half. The Flying Dutchmen answered with six consecutive points, extending their lead to 26-12 with 6:06 to go. The program added to its advantage on a jumper and a couple of free throws by Tang, before Ryan Harder made a layup. The squads then exchanged baskets until LVC was ahead 32-20. Tang then knocked down a three-pointer with 1:39 remaining, before the teams went back and forth defensively during the final minutes of the half. Lebanon Valley took this 35-20 lead into halftime.

The Dutchmen and the Griffins traded points at the beginning of the second half until LVC led 39-26. Lebanon Valley followed this by delivering an 11-2 run, making it a 50-28 contest with 14:27 remaining. This dominant stretch included a free throw by Tang, four points by Timochenko, and a pair of points each by Harder, Garcia and Wil Laskowski. Gwynedd Mercy then answered with 11 straight points, trimming its deficit to 50-39 with 11:02 left in the second half.

The Flying Dutchmen responded five points in a row by Harder, advancing their lead to 55-39 with 9:32 remaining in the contest. During this span, the junior guard converted three free throws and knocked down a jumper. The programs then proceeded to swap baskets through much of the second half, battling until Lebanon Valley held a 61-49 advantage with 3:35 to play. The Dutchmen followed this with a layup by Timochenko and a pair of free throws by Tang, reclaiming their 16-point advantage with just under three minutes to go. The teams continued to go back and forth through the final minutes of the game, as Lebanon Valley ultimately preserved the lead for its second consecutive victory. 

Inside the Box Score

• Tang led the Dutchmen with 21 points while tying for the team-high in steals with four. This marks the sophomore guard's season-high in points. Tang also made nine free throws during the win, which is the most an LVC player has converted this season.  
• Timochenko posted his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and tying for the team lead in rebounds with 10. 
• Harder logged his first double-double of the campaign, tallying 10 rebounds with 11 points. The junior guard also for a team-leading four steals while registering two blocks and an assist. 
• Garcia scored 13 points with six rebounds, a team-most four assists and a pair of steals. 
• Lebanon Valley posted 27 points off turnovers.
• Jevon Griffin and Smith were each credited with three assists. 

Up Next 
The Dutchmen will return to action at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30, as the program will play its final game of 2023 against Drew University at Baldwin Gymnasium in Madison, N.J.

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