ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley Women's Basketball team used a strong defensive effort to defeat visiting Juniata College 53-41 on Saturday in the final non-conference game of the year at Sorrentino Gymnasium.
 
LVC (7-4) won its third straight game against a Division III opponent to head into conference play on a high note. Neither team was able to score on the first five possessions of the game as they combined for five consecutive missed shots. Brielle Reidinger ended the scoring drought as she grabbed her own offensive rebound and put the ball off the glass for a layup. Juniata responded at the other end with a bucket. Riley Hevelow gave the Dutchmen back the lead before the Eagles answered right back to make it 4-4. Neither team was able to score again until Hevelow knocked down a pair of free throws with 4:35 to go in the quarter. Kailey Eckhart then grabbed a defensive rebound and fired the ball up court to Abbie Reed for a fastbreak layup. Reidinger scored down low to increase the lead to six points with a little over two minutes to go. Juniata answered right back before LVC ended the quarter with a layup by Reed to take a 12-6 advantage. A last-second shot attempt in the pain by the Eagles was blocked by Eckhart.
 
The second quarter was a defensive showcase over the first two minutes as neither team was able to make a field goal. The Eagles scored the first three points of the quarter to cut the lead to three before Jordan Zimmerman put LVC on the board with a jumper in the paint. Juniata had a steal and bucket before the teams went another three minutes without a score. The Eagles got within one as they ended the scoring drought. The Dutchmen came right back down the court and Hevelow found Eckhart open beyond the arch for a big three. Zimmerman and Reidinger had layups in the final two minutes of the quarter to push the Dutchmen to a 21-13 halftime lead.
 
Cristina Fernandez started the scoring in the second half with a steal and a bucket. Juniata was held without a made field goal for the first three minutes of the quarter but did manage to knock down a pair of free throws. Hevelow hit a three off a pass from Zimmerman to put LVC up 11 before the Eagles scored on a layup. Fernandez hit a pair of jumpers to sandwich two made free throws by the Eagles to put the Dutchmen up 30-19 midway through the quarter. Juniata answered with a three-pointer and a fastbreak layup on its next two possessions. Neither team was able to score again until Fernandez hit a three on the right wing. Zimmerman scored LVC's final four points of the quarter with back-to-back jumpers in the paint, but Juniata outscored the Dutchmen 6-4 over the final 90 seconds to cut the advantage to 37-30 heading into the final quarter.
 
The Dutchmen put the game away over the first couple minutes of the final quarter as they held the Eagles off the board while increasing the lead to 13. Reidinger scored the first points of the quarter with a turnaround bucket under the rim. She then scored on a fastbreak off a Zimmerman steal. The forward finished the run with a putback bucket to make it 43-30 with 7:18 to go. Juniata made its first field goal of the quarter nearly a minute later. They then cut the lead to single digits at 43-34 with a pair of free throws. Hevelow scored on a driving layup before a three cut the lead to eight with 3:43 on the clock. Fernandez had a pair of buckets and then Reidinger hit a jumper to round out the scoring for the Dutchmen.
 
Inside the Box

• Reidinger led three Dutchmen in double figures scoring with 14 points and nine rebounds. The junior pulled down five offensive rebounds and was 7-13 from the field. She also had three assists. Reidinger has scored in double figures every game this season.
• Fernandez had a strong second half to finish with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
• Hevelow had 11 points and five rebounds with two assists and two steals. The junior scored 11 points for the second consecutive game.
• Zimmerman finished with eight points and a season-high seven rebounds. The guard had three rebounds on the offensive glass and dished out three asssits.
• Reed scored four points and pulled down five rebounds while Eckhart had three points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
• LVC held Juniata to a 25.9 shooting percentage which is the second-lowest an opponent has shot this season.
• The Dutchmen had nine offensive rebounds and scored 15 second chance points. LVC was a force in the paint scoring 34 points compared to just 14 for the Eagles.

Up Next
Lebanon Valley will begin conference play on Wednesday by hosting Stevens Institute of Technology at Sorrentino Gymnasium. Tip-off against the Ducks is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
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