BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley women's basketball shot a season-high 46.4 percent and scored a season-high 27 first-quarter points to defeat Moravian University 73-56 on Saturday afternoon at Johnston Hall in Bethlehem.
 
The Dutchmen (6-2) won their fifth straight game behind a strong start and a strong defensive effort in the paint. Riley Hevelow scored the first points of the game as she beat the shot clock and knocked down a three-pointer at the top of the key on LVC's first offensive possession. The Greyhounds answered with a three-pointer that also beat the shot clock at the other end. Kailey Eckhart hit a three-pointer on the wing, and the Greyhounds answered at the other end. Hevelow got out in transition and drove to the hoop with a pull-up jumper.
 
Abbie Reed and Eckhart blocked jumpers before Moravian took its only lead of the game with a three-pointer. The Dutchmen answered right back as Hevelow knocked down another three-pointer. Eckhart hit a pair of free throws and then knocked down a three-pointer to put the lead at 16-12 midway through the quarter. Megan Albrecht scored on a traditional three-point play after an offensive rebound before the Greyhound hit their fifth three-pointer to begin the game.  Eckhart and Hevelow knocked down jumpers to push the lead to eight. Alexa Holcomb hit the back end of two shots at the line, and Hevelow ended the quarter with a three-pointer to give LVC a 27-15 lead after the first 10 minutes.
 
Moravian came out strong to begin the second quarter with a 6-2 run to cut the deficit to eight points. Brielle Reidinger scored on a layup before Holcomb knocked down a three-pointer to push the advantage to 34-23 three minutes into the quarter. Hevelow pulled down a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the court for a fastbreak bucket in the paint. Two free throws by Albrecht and a layup from Eckhart gave LVC a 17-point lead with four minutes to play in the half. Neither team scored over the next few minutes until the Greyhounds scored on a fastbreak layup and a three-pointer to cut the advantage to 40-28 in the final minute. Albrecht answered with a three-pointer before a bucket right before the buzzer by the Greyhounds sent the Dutchmen into the locker room with a 13-point advantage at 43-30.
 
The Dutchmen struggled offensively to begin the second half, missing their first four shots and going the first seven possessions without a point. Moravian was able to hit three jumpers to bring the deficit down to seven points. Hevelow scored on a driving layup while being fouled to end the scoring drought for the Dutchmen. Eckhart scored on a layup off a nice pass from Hevelow. Reed stepped in front of a pass and took the ball to the hoop for a layup to bring the lead back up to 13. Reidinger and Hevelow knocked down jumpers to extend the run and give LVC a 53-36 lead with a little under two minutes to play in the quarter. Moravian scored on a layup and then made one of two free throws to cut the advantage to 14 points at the end of the third quarter.
 
The Greyhounds got to the line on the first possession of the fourth quarter and made both free throws. Reidinger worked her way into the paint and scored on back-to-back possessions to make the score 57-43 in favor of LVC. Moravian used a 5-0 run over the next two minutes to get within single digits. Reidinger scored on a short jumper and then used a pair of huge blocks by Reed on the defensive end to keep the Greyhounds off the board. Hevelow hit a jumper off an assist by Adrianna Stricek before Reidinger knocked down the front end of two shots at the line to give the Dutchmen a 62-48 advantage with 4:42 on the clock. Moravian scored the next four points over the next minute.
 
LVC called a timeout to stop momentum. They came out of the timeout with a focus on defense and held the Greyhounds to just two buckets over the final 3:30. Hevelow knocked down a shot at the line, Eckhart made both of her shots, Hevelow scored on a layup, and then Reed made both of her shots at the line to push the score to 69-56. Reidinger found Holcomb open underneath the basket for an easy fastbreak bucket. Reed blocked two more shots in the final minute, and Eckhart knocked down a pair of free throws to set the final score.
 
Inside the Box

• Hevelow scored a season-high 24 points on 10 made field goals, including a trio of three-pointers. The senior is now 17 points away from 1,000 career points. Hevelow also equaled her career-high assist total with six and pulled down seven rebounds.
• Reidinger posted her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The senior now has 33 career double-doubles. Reidinger pulled down four rebounds on the offensive glass, dished out two assists, and blocked two shots.
• Eckhart continued her strong start to the year with a season-high 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. She has scored in double figures every game this season.
• Reed was a force on the defensive end for the Dutchmen with a career-high five blocks. The junior also pulled down eight defensive rebounds and recorded two steals. Offensively, she had four points and two assists.
• Albrecht and Holcomb provided a spark off the bench as Albrecht had eight points and six rebounds, while Holcomb scored six points and grabbed three rebounds with two assists.
• LVC shot an outstanding 56.3 percent in the first quarter, making nine of 16 field goals, including five of six three-pointers. They made four of five shots at the line for their season-high 27 first-quarter points.
• The Dutchmen shot a season-high 46.4 percent for the game, making a season-high seven three-pointers. They dished out a season-high 15 assists and blocked a season-high nine shots.
• LVC has held opponents under 60 points each game during the five-game winning streak. The Dutchmen have won three consecutive meetings against Moravian.

Up Next
Lebanon Valley will host Lancaster Bible College on Tuesday at Sorrentino Gymnasium. Tip-off against the Chargers is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Annville.

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