ANNVILLE, Pa. – Demarcus Bandy scored 25 points, and Jason Penn added 22 for the Lebanon Valley men's basketball team in a tough 88-82 defeat to Wilson College on Tuesday afternoon at Sorrentino Gymnasium in Annville.
 
LVC got out to a great start against the Phoenix, making its first four shots of the game to take an early 11-3 lead. Kyle Tang found Karson Pavlik open near the top of the key for a three-pointer to begin the game. Wilson got on the board before Tang found Penn open in the corner for a three-pointer. Tang hit a pull-up jumper at the elbow and then knocked down a three at the top of the key, giving the Dutchmen an eight-point edge. Penn knocked down a pair of shots at the line to push the lead to 10. LVC's early game dominance continued as Luke Chilton scored on a hook shot in the paint to make it 15-3 at the first media timeout. The Dutchmen came out of the timeout with a step-back three-pointer by Penn and a driving layup from Tang to take their biggest lead of the game at 20-3. Wilson stopped the run with two made shots at the line, a three-pointer on the wing, and a fastbreak layup to get the deficit down to 10 at the second media timeout.
 
Bandy knocked down two free throws and then put back an offensive rebound to give the Dutchmen a 24-12 advantage with a little over 10 minutes to play in the half. Pavlik hit a pull-up jumper at the foul line before a steal and a bucket by the Phoenix. LVC answered with back-to-back layups by Michael Main and Bandy. The Phoenix countered with an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to cut the lead to 30-25 with six minutes to go in the half. Penn stopped the run with a pull-up just outside the lane before a three-pointer and layup for Wilson made it a one-possession game. Giovanni Sejuste gave the Dutchmen some breathing room with a driving layup, and then Bandy knocked down a corner three-pointer. The Phoenix answered with a three-pointer at the other end to keep it a four-point game. Bandy hit one of two free throws, and then Penn knocked down both of his free throws to push the lead back to seven. Wilson knocked down a three-pointer, and the teams traded free throws to close out the half with LVC leading 42-37.
 
Wilson came out of the break strong and scored the first seven points to take its first lead of the game. Penn was fouled going to the rim and hit both of his foul shots to even the score at 44. The Phoenix hit a free throw to retake the lead before Bandy knocked down a corner three-pointer in transition off a pass from Tang. Wilson responded with a layup and then a three-pointer that gave them a 50-47 lead at the first media timeout. Bandy scored on a layup while being fouled and made the shot at the line to even the score. Wilson scored on a pair of free throws, Sejuste hit a turnaround jumper in the paint, and then Bandy got out in transition for a fastbreak layup. Wilson countered with the next seven points to take a 59-54 advantage. LVC came right back with layups by Sejuste and Penn, along with a pair of free throws by Tang to go back in front by one with 11:51 on the clock.
 
The teams traded buckets with Sejuste continuing his strong play in the paint. Wilson tied the score with a free throw and then scored the next eight points to go up 70-62 with a little under nine minutes to play. Sejuste knocked down a pair of buckets in the paint, but each score was answered at the other end of the court. The Phoenix took their largest lead of the game on a layup with six minutes to play that gave them a 76-66 advantage. LVC fought back as Bandy hit a corner three-pointer and Penn knocked down a three-pointer on the left wing that made it 79-72. Tang drove to the rim for a layup to cut the deficit to five with four minutes left. The teams traded free throws before a three-pointer for Wilson pushed the lead to eight with two minutes on the clock. Tang scored on another driving layup, and Penn knocked down two shots at the line after a technical foul to get LVC within six at 86-80. Bandy got the Dutchmen within four on a layup with a minute left, but that was as close as LVC would get with Wilson holding the Dutchmen scoreless over the final minute.
 
Inside the Box

• Bandy had a season-high 25 points off the bench with a season-high seven rebounds and a season-high three steals. The first-year was 8-for17 from the field and 6-for-8 at the line. The 25 points are the most by a Dutchman in a game this season.
• Penn added a season-high 22 points and a season-high seven rebounds. The sophomore has scored at least 20 points twice in the past three games. Nine of his points came at the line where he was 9-for-10.
• Tang was an assist shy of a double-double with 14 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. This was the second time this year that the guard has scored at least 10 points, pulled down at least five rebounds, and dished out at least five assists.
• Sejuste was the fourth scorer in double figures with 12 points and four rebounds. The first-year scored in double figures for the third time this year and for the second consecutive game.
• Pavlik finished with five points while Chilton and Main had two each.
• The Dutchmen held a slim 39-37 rebounding advantage and blocked a season-high four shots.
• LVC shot 43.8 percent from the field, including an outstanding 53.85 percent in the first half. They scored 34 points in the paint and 14 points off 11 Wilson turnovers.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will wrap up non-conference play on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, as the squad welcomes Lycoming College to Sorrentino Gymnasium. Tip-off against the Warriors is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Annville.

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