Women's Basketball
Lebanon Valley 46, Messiah 43
GRANTHAM, Pa. - #19 Lebanon Valley captured its third-consecutive Commonwealth Conference Championship in a 46-43 win at #13 Messiah Saturday.
The Dutchmen (24-3) came into the game with a pair of regular-season losses to the Falcons (23-4) but took retribution in front of a capacity crowd at Brubaker Gymnasium.
Caitlin Bach and Tierney Hiltz led LVC with 13 points each, and Bach earned another double-double with 13 rebounds. Just five players scored for LVC, which shot 30 percent collectively on the game. Kiely Chaklos scored nine, Renee Fritz scored six, and Liz Borgia scored five in the win.
Conference MVP Dori Gyori led the Falcons with 13 points. Nicky Hess and Chelseas Danel were close behind with nine points each.
Hiltz had a great tournament offensively, posting 29 total points with nine assists. She was named tournament MVP at the conclusion of Saturday's game.
The Dutchmen did not lead until Hiltz made a pair of free throws with 1:26 left in the game, and five points in the final minute by Bach - a layup and three free throws - sealed the win. It finished a nine-point swing for LVC over the final five minutes; Messiah led 39-34 after Nicky Hess' jumper at 4:53 before a Kiely Chaklos three-pointer started LVC's comeback.
LVC's second half proved to be far better than its first; after shooting a dismal 5-for-26 before the break, LVC awakened to shoot 41.7% (10-for-24) and 12-for-14 at the line in the second half. While Messiah experienced a similar turnaround, the Dutchmen contained them on the perimeter as the Falcons shot just 3-for-14 for three.