ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley men's basketball team placed five scorers in double figures and battled back from a double-digit halftime deficit in a tough 84-80 defeat to visiting Messiah University on Saturday afternoon at Sorrentino Gymnasium in Annville. The game was the first between the programs since LVC moved out of the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth into the MAC Freedom.
 
Messiah got off to a big start in the game, scoring the first nine points over the first 2:30. Giovanni Sejuste got the Dutchmen on the board as he knocked down the back end of two shots at the line. Lebanon Valley struggled offensively over the first five minutes, and Michael Main made LVC's first field goal with a three-pointer near the left corner off a pass from Phil Unangst with just over 15 minutes to go in the half that cut the deficit to 10-4. The Falcons answered with an 11-0 run over the next 2:30 that pushed their lead to 21-4. Kyle Tang scored a pair of buckets in the paint, and then Brendan Lonergan knocked down a foul-line jumper to get the advantage down to 11 at the 10-minute mark.
 
The Falcons were able to score on a layup before Lonergan hit another jumper on the right wing, and then Karson Pavlik knocked down a three-pointer on the left wing off a pass from Lonergan. Messiah stopped the run with a putback basket under the hoop. Jason Penn got out in transition and drove to the rim for two points. Penn and Sejuste knocked down free throws to get the Dutchmen within seven at 28-21 with 5:18 left on the clock. Unangst made it a four-point game with a three-pointer on the right wing. The lead was still four after a pair of Tyler Kerlin free throws with 3:34 remaining in the half. Messiah went on an 8-0 run over the next three possessions, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to go back up by double-digits. Tang hit a free throw before the Falcons continued their late-half push with another three-pointer and a driving layup. Unangst knocked down two shots at the line, and then the Falcons scored right before the half ended to take a 45-29 lead into the break.
 
The first two minutes of the second half were a defensive battle with neither team able to score until Messiah hit a jumper with 18:15 on the clock. A technical foul put Penn on the line for a pair of shots, which he sank. Unangst was then fouled while going up for a layup and knocked down both of his shots. Sejuste made LVC's first field goal of the second half as he knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint to make it 49-35. Both teams knocked down three-pointers on the next two possessions as Tang scored from the left wing off a pass from Unangst. The Falcons led by 16 right after the first media timeout of the half.
 
The Dutchmen began their comeback as Penn drove and found Kerlin open for a corner three-pointer. Kerlin then hit another three from almost the same exact spot on the next possession before getting out in transition for a fastbreak layup to cut the score to 54-46. Messiah called a timeout to stop the momentum, and it momentarily worked as they scored the next five points to push the lead back to double figures. Sejuste answered the run with the next five points in a run where he made a pair of jumpers in the paint, stole the ball and pulled down two offensive rebounds to get LVC within eight at the media timeout.
 
The Falcons scored the next five points in the next two minutes out of the media timeout. Unangst stopped the run with a pair of free throws, and then Sejuste continued his scoring spree with a layup off a pass from Penn. Unangst backed down his defender for a short jumper to make it 68-57 in favor of the Falcons with eight minutes to go in the game. Tang stepped in front of a pass and then knocked down two foul shots on his fastbreak attempt. Penn then pulled up for a three-pointer on the left side to cut the deficit down to six. The teams traded made free throws before Penn hit a step-back three from the top of the key. Sejuste came up with a big block at the other end, Demarcus Bandy got the rebound and pushed the ball up court, ending with a three-pointer on the left wing to even the score at 70 with just under five minutes to play.
 
The Dutchmen kept up the defensive pressure and got a few stops while Sejuste scored on a pair of layups to put LVC up by four with 3:21 on the clock. The Falcons answered with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to retake the lead at 80-74 with just under a minute to play. Penn knocked down a turnaround jumper in the paint while being fouled and then made his shot at the line to cut the deficit in half. Tang came up with a quick steal, but the Dutchmen were unable to score and were forced to foul. Messiah made their shots at the line before Tang hit Kerlin on the right side for a three-pointer to make it a two-point game with 21 seconds left. Messiah missed both shots at the line, and LVC had a chance to take the lead, but a three-pointer by Pavlik with 10 seconds left was off the mark. The Falcons knocked down free throws with four seconds left to set the final score.
 
Inside the Box

• Sejuste led the Dutchmen with a season-high 16 points, including 13 in the second half. The first-year was a rebound shy of his first career double-double with a season-high nine rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
• Penn had 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists to wrap up a strong week after scoring a season-high 21 points on Wednesday. He scored 11 points in the second half.
• Kerlin scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and knocked down a trio of three-pointers. The sophomore also pulled down three rebounds.
• Tang finished with 12 points, a season-high five steals, three rebounds, and two assists. The senior has scored in double figures four times this year.
• Unangst poured in 11 points and grabbed five rebounds while dishing out three assists. The sophomore was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.
• Lonergan made both of his shots for four points while Pavlik, Main, and Bandy had three points each.
• The Dutchmen made a season-high 10 three-pointers and scored 22 points in the paint.
• LVC shot 48.48% in the second half, outscoring the Falcons 51-39.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will have 10 days off for the holiday and will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 30, with a home game against Wilson College. Tip-off against the Phoenix is scheduled for 3 p.m. as the second game of a basketball doubleheader in Sorrentino Gymnasium, with the women's team playing the first game at 1 p.m.

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