MADISON, N.J. – Jason Penn, Giovanni Sejuste, and Demarcus Bandy all scored in double figures as the Lebanon Valley men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 83-66 decision at FDU-Florham on Wednesday evening inside the Ferguson Recreation Center in Madison, New Jersey.
 
The Dutchmen (6-16, 4-7 MAC Freedom) got out to a 4-0 lead over the Devils (8-14, 3-8 MAC Freedom) as Kyle Tang scored quickly off the tip, and then Sejuste made a layup. FDU-Florham cut the lead in half before Reed Melvin knocked down a jumper on the left wing. Melvin added another bucket, this time closer to the corner, to push the LVC advantage to 8-4. Tang dished out his third assist of the first three minutes as he found Penn in the corner for a three-pointer. The Devils made a put-back layup, and Tang connected with Penn again as the sophomore knocked down another three-pointer to give the Dutchmen their largest lead at 14-6 with 16 minutes to play in the half.
 
FDU came out of the first media timeout and scored back-to-back layups. Bandy found Melvin open on the wing for a mid-range jumper before the Devils scored another bucket in the paint to make it a four-point game. The hosts continued their run and tied the score with a pair of buckets down low. LVC answered with a deep Phil Unangst three-pointer off a pass from Tyler Kerlin. The duo reversed the roles after a Devils layup as Kerlin knocked down a three-pointer on the left wing to put the Dutchmen up 22-18 at the second media timeout. FDU-Florham sandwiched a Gannon Perlini three-pointer on the right wing with a pair of layups to cut the deficit to 25-22 with nine minutes left in the half. They added a three-pointer to tie and then a layup to take their first lead of the game at 27-25.
 
Melvin knocked down a baseline jumper off an assist by Tang to even the score out of a media timeout. The Devils countered with a bucket off a turnover, and then Michael Main found Sejuste under the hoop for a layup. A three-point play put the Devils back in front. LVC cut the lead to one on another Sejuste bucket in the paint. The Devils responded with a three-pointer, and then Bandy tipped in an offensive rebound to make it a two-point game with 4:08 on the clock. The Devils held the Dutchmen scoreless over the final four minutes of the half and used a 9-0 run on a three-pointer and three layups to take a 44-33 halftime advantage.
 
The Dutchmen came out strong to begin the second half and immediately got the deficit down to four on a Penn corner three-pointer, a Bandy pull-up on the right side, and then a Bandy layup off a pass from Sejuste. The Dutchmen forced two turnovers on the first two FDU offensive possessions. The Devils fired right back with the next five points to make it 49-40. Unangst made a free throw, and then Tang connected with Penn for a bucket just outside the paint. Bandy made a corner three-pointer, and then Penn made it a one-point game with a turnaround bucket along the lane line.
 
FDU-Florham hit a three-pointer to give themselves some breathing room, but LVC answered at the other end as Owen Chernich grabbed an offensive rebound, and after the Dutchmen passed the ball out, Tang found Chernich open beyond the arc for a three-pointer. The Devils countered with the next five points, ending on a steal and bucket to take a 57-51 lead with 12:45 on the clock. Sejuste hit a three-pointer on the right side to cut the deficit in half. The teams traded missed jumpers until the Devils knocked down a pair of free throws with 10:26 remaining.
 
Sejuste made a turnaround jumper in the paint that got the deficit to three. The Devils answered with a three-pointer and two made free throws. Unangst gave the Dutchmen some momentum with a dunk, but FDU-Florham responded with a three-pointer at the other end to go up 67-58. The Dutchmen struck right back as Tang assisted on three-pointers by Bandy and Penn. FDU countered with a decisive 11-0 run over the next four minutes to go up 78-64. Sejuste made a pair of free throws before a three-pointer and two shots at the line in the final minute gave the Devils the victory.
 
Inside the Box

• Penn scored a game-high 16 points with four three-pointers. He scored 10 of his points in the second half.
• Sejuste had 13 points and eight rebounds with two assists to continue his streak of scoring in double figures during conference play. The first-year was 5-for-8 from the field in 22 minutes of action.
• Bandy recorded ninth double-digit scoring performance of the season with 12 points, including 10 in the second half, and five rebounds. He also scored 12 points against the Devils in the first meeting this season.
• Melvin added eight points while Unangst had six.
• Tang dished out a career-high 11 assists and had four rebounds.
• LVC did a great job distributing the ball with 22 assists on 26 made field goals.
• The Dutchmen shot 43.3 percent and had 16 points in the paint.

Up Next
Lebanon Valley will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday as the Dutchmen welcome Arcadia University to Sorrentino Gymnasium for a 3 p.m. tip.

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