ASTON, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley women's basketball team outscored host Neumann University 22-14 to break open a close game in a 64-50 victory over the Knights on Saturday afternoon inside the Mirenda Center in Aston.
 
LVC (3-2) moved over .500 for the first time this season under first-year Head Coach Julia Duggan with the victory, winning both games this week to gain momentum going into the Thanksgiving break. Riley Hevelow started the scoring as Brielle Reidinger fed her a pass in the paint for a layup. Neumann answered at the other end before Reidinger found Abbie Reed open for a jumper as the Dutchmen scored on their first two offensive possessions of the game. The Knights were able to tie the game on a pair of free throws with just over eight minutes to play in the quarter. Hevelow got the ball up court quickly and hit Kailey Eckhart for a three-pointer. The Knights countered with an 8-3 run to take the lead at 12-10. Reidinger scored LVC's points on a traditional three-point play.
 
Eckhart tied the game with a pair of free throws before another three-pointer from Neumann gave them a 15-12 advantage. The Dutchmen responded with the final six points of the quarter as Reidinger knocked down a jumper, Reed found Hevelow in transition, and then Reidinger scored down low. Neither team scored over the final two minutes of the quarter. Hevelow extended the lead to six with a three-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter. The Knights used a 7-1 run over the next three minutes to even the score at 22. Reidinger knocked down the front end of two free throws before a three-pointer by Neumann gave the hosts the lead. They extended the run and lead by three at 27-24 with 4:11 on the clock. Erika Badner hit a jumper, cutting the lead in half. The teams would hit one shot each over the final four minutes as Neumann scored on a layup with two minutes to go, and then Riley Hatzfeld knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 29.
 
LVC came out of the halftime break locked in as Reed blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound, and Reidinger connected with Hevelow for a three-pointer at the other end. Two possessions later, Reidinger grabbed an offensive rebound and made the putback layup. A pair of jumpers by Neumann cut the lead down to one before Eckhart scored in the paint. Neumann answered with a layup before LVC used a 7-0 run to open a sizable lead. Megan Albrecht, Reidinger, and Reed all made shots at the line during the run, while Hevelow scored off an offensive rebound. The Knights hit a pair of foul shots with four minutes on the clock. Hevelow countered with a trio of jumpers to push the advantage to 49-37 with a little under two to play. Neumann hit a pair of three-pointers and Eckhart scored on a driving layup in the final minute to bring the score to 51-43 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Dutchmen held the Knights scoreless over the first 3:30 of the fourth quarter while scoring three times. Reidinger scored in transition after steals by Hevelow and Reed, and Eckhart backed her way into the paint for a layup. The Knights scored their first points of the quarter on a pair of free throws with 6:27 remaining. LVC responded by taking its largest lead of the game with the next seven points while holding Neumann off the scoreboard for another five minutes. Hevelow knocked down a jumper to put the Dutchmen up 64-45 with just under two minutes left, and 20 seconds later, LVC subbed out all their starters. The Knights made their first field goal of the quarter with 1:13 left on the clock and added another bucket in the final minute to set the final score.
 
Inside the Box

• Hevelow scored a season-high 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the field. The senior pulled down seven rebounds for the second consecutive game, including three on the offensive glass.
• Reidinger posted her third double-double of the season with a season-high 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. The senior pulled down five rebounds on the offensive glass and recorded the 750th rebound of her career. She currently has 857 career points, 762 rebounds, and 31 double-doubles.
• Eckhart added a season-high 13 points and a season-high six rebounds. She has scored in double figures in all five games.
• Reed pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds, dished out a season-high four assists, scored five points, and blocked a season-high two shots.
• Hatzfeld knocked down a three-pointer while Albrecht had two points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.
• The Dutchmen shot a season-high 42.9% and grabbed a season-high 56 rebounds. They dished out a season-high 13 assists.

Up Next
LVC will be off for Thanksgiving week. They will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, as they begin a two-game homestand against York College of Pennsylvania. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. against the Spartans inside Sorrentino Gymnasium.

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