ANNVILLE, Pa. – Kailey Eckhart finished with a game-high 19 points as the Lebanon Valley Women's Basketball team dropped a heart-breaking 43-41 decision to visiting DeSales University on Wednesday evening in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Semifinals at Sorrentino Gymnasium.
 
The Bulldogs (16-10) got off to a great start against the Dutchmen (19-7) scoring the first five points of the game on their first two offensive possessions. Riley Hevelow got the Dutchmen on the board with a pull-up jumper and then Brielle Reidinger scored on a layup to cut the lead to 5-4 with four minutes gone. DeSales responded with a pair of fastbreak buckets in the paint and then a layup to extend the lead to 11-4 with just under four minutes left in the quarter. The Dutchmen locked down on defense and held the Bulldogs scoreless the rest of the period while Eckhart had a pair of buckets in the paint and then Jordan Zimmerman found Abbie Reed open along the baseline for a jumper right before time expired to cut the deficit to 11-10.
 
The Dutchmen tied the game up on the first possession of the second quarter as Reidinger made the backend of two free throw attempts. The Bulldogs answered with a bucket, but LVC struck right back as Reeded scored on a driving layup. LVC took its first lead of the game nearly halfway through the quarter as Eckhart scored on a driving layup. After a turnover at the other end the Bulldogs called a timeout. They came out of the break and got a stop on defense before knocking down a three pointer to retake the lead. After two scoreless minutes, the Bulldogs hit another three to go up 19-15 with two minutes left in the half. Fernandez cut the lead in half with a driving layup in the final minutes before DeSales scored on an offensive put back to take a 21-17 advantage into the break.
 
Fernandez started the scoring in the third quarter with a made free throw to make it a one-possession game. The Bulldogs held LVC scoreless the next three minutes and scored once each minute to push the lead to 27-18 with six minutes on the clock. Eckhart knocked down a three to stop the run. DeSales answered with a layup before Eckhart found Balmer open for a bucket to make it a six-point game with five minutes left in the quarter. DeSales locked down defensively and held the Dutchmen off the board while scoring six points in the final five minutes to build a 35-23 advantage heading into the final quarter.
 
Eckhart grabbed her own miss and put it back to start off the fourth quarter. After a Bulldog bucket, Fernandez found Eckhart and Hevelow open for a pair of threes to cut the deficit to six just two minutes in. Fernandez had a pair of back-to-back blocks on the defensive end and then Eckhart knocked down a step-back three to make it a three-point game with 6:29 left. The Dutchmen forced a turnover and then Hevelow tied the game with a banked three pointer just before the shot clock expired. LVC took the lead as Fernandez jumped the passing lane and cruised to the rim for a fastbreak layup. The score remained 39-37 until there were a little over two minutes left when Eckhart scored on a driving layup. The Bulldogs answered with a three on the right wing to cut the lead to one. Neither team was able to score until DeSales knocked down another three with 37 seconds left to take a 43-41 lead. The Bulldogs forced a turnover to get the ball back with just over 30 seconds left. Hevelow forced a turnover to give LVC a chance at tying the game with under 10 seconds to play. Her baseline jumper was off the mark as DSU held on for the win.
 
Inside the Box

• Eckhart was 8-15 from the field and 3-6 on three for her 19 points. The junior also had seven rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal.
• Hevelow finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
• Fernandez had five points, four rebounds, four blocks, and three steals.
• Reed pulled down seven rebounds and scored four points.
• Reidinger added five rebounds and three points.
• The Dutchmen had a 41-38 rebounding advantage.
• LVC fell in heartbreaking fashion on a last minute three-pointer in the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
• The Dutchmen finished the year 13-1 when holding opponents under 45 points in a game.

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