HOBOKEN, N.J. – Seniors Riley Hevelow and Brielle Reidinger scored in double figures to lead the Lebanon Valley women's basketball team in a tough 54-49 defeat at Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday evening at Canavan Arena in Hoboken.
 
The Dutchmen (18-6, 9-4 MAC Freedom) scored first in the game as Hevelow fed Reidinger in the post for a layup. Stevens (18-6, 9-4 MAC Freedom) answered with a three-pointer to take the lead on its home court. Alexa Holcomb then found Hevelow open inside the paint for a bucket. The Ducks scored at the other end, and then Kailey Eckhart made a free throw to even the score at five. Stevens scored the next five points on a layup and transition three-pointer. Eckhart knocked down a mid-range jumper to get the deficit to three. The Ducks made two shots at the line before Hevelow made a turnaround bucket in the paint and then knocked down a three-pointer on the right side to tie the score. Neither team scored again for nearly two minutes until the Ducks made a jumper. Stevens held the Dutchmen scoreless over the final 3:30 of the quarter and added a pair of free throws in the final minute to take a 16-12 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
 
Eckhart made a free throw a minute into the second quarter to get the Dutchmen within three. The Ducks countered with a three-pointer to start a 9-4 run over the next three minutes. Hevelow had a floating jumper shot and a step-back bucket for the Dutchmen. Stevens increased the advantage to nine with five minutes left on a free throw. Hevelow stopped the run with a three-pointer off a pass by Holcomb to make it 26-20 in favor of the hosts. Stevens outscored the Dutchmen 4-2 over the final four minutes of the half, with Adrianna Stricek making a layup for LVC. The Ducks scored right before the buzzer to take a 30-22 lead into the break.
 
Stevens came out of the break and scored five of the first seven points of the third quarter. Reidinger powered her way to a pair of layups to make it 35-26 with eight minutes on the clock. A pair of layups by the Ducks gave Stevens its largest lead at 13-points. Eckhart backed her way down for a layup to make it 39-28. The Ducks made two free throws before Stricek scored down low off a pass from Reidinger. Megan Albrecht got the deficit down to single digits with a pair of free throws with four minutes to play in the quarter. The Ducks answered with a three-pointer. Neither team scored again until Reidinger scored a second-chance bucket with seven seconds on the clock.
 
LVC began the fourth quarter strong as Albrecht made a driving layup and then knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game with just under nine minutes remaining. A minute later, Albrecht found herself at the line again and made another two free throws to make it 44-40. The Ducks scored their first points of the quarter with just under seven to play to push the advantage back up to six. The lead grew to eight before Reidinger and Albrecht scored on back-to-back layups that cut the deficit in half. Stevens countered with a bucket to take a six-point lead with 3:43 on the clock. Hevelow found Reidinger open at the top of the key for a bucket, and then Abbie Reed made it a one-point game with a three-pointer.
 
The Dutchmen had a chance to take the lead, but a turnover and foul put Stevens at the line, where they made both shots with 1:53 to play. LVC missed shots on its next two possessions but held the Ducks without a point. Hevelow had a chance to tie the score with a three-pointer in the final minute, but her attempt was off, and the Ducks grabbed the rebound. Stevens made the shots at the line and then grabbed one final rebound to hold on for the win.
 
Inside the Box

• Hevelow led the Dutchmen with 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds.
• Reidinger poured in 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
• Albrecht scored all 10 of her points in the second half, including six shots at the line. She also grabbed four rebounds.
• Eckhart finished with six points and five rebounds.
• Stricek pulled down eight rebounds and scored four points with two blocks.
• Reed had three points and five rebounds while Holcomb dished out two assists and grabbed five rebounds.
• LVC had a 43-34 rebounding advantage. The Dutchmen scored 26 points in the paint and had eight second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will close out the regular season on Saturday at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown. Tipoff against the Aggies is scheduled for 1 p.m. in James Work Gymnasium. LVC is in a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings with Stevens and Arcadia. The Dutchmen need to beat the Aggies and hope the Knights and Ducks drop their final games of the season to earn a home semifinal game next week. Arcadia plays King's in Glenside while Stevens hosts FDU-Florham.

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