For immediate release – 2/14/2015 - #260
Lynchburg Takes Down Shenandoah on Senior Day
LYNCHBURG, VA – Austen Arnold and Alex Graves combined for 51 points to help the Lynchburg College men's basketball team defeat Shenandoah University 99-91 on Saturday in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action. LC hosted the other Hornets in the conference on Senior Day, as Rionn Pradia, the lone Lynchburg senior, was honored.
The two Hornet squads exchanged the lead several times throughout the first 12 minutes of the game. There were six ties and 11 lead changes during that span. Arnold and Graves started off hot, scoring 11 of the first 13 points for Lynchburg, with Daniel Rowe's jump shot the lone exception. However, Lynchburg lost the lead after Grave's second bucket, as Shenandoah retook the advantage. A.J. Hamilton made two shots in the next minute, which was split by a pair of free throws from SU, to give LC the 17-16 lead at 12:18.
Over the next two minutes, Shenandoah outscored Lynchburg 7-4 to take the lead 22-20. At 9:24, Zack Burnett knocked down a three, to help LC retake the lead. Shenandoah responded after a Sammy Hooper three and tied the game at 26 all at the 8:00 mark. Arnold then sank two free throws to give LC the lead for good. Lynchburg kept the pressure up the rest of the half, outscoring Shenandoah by 11 points, which included a Rowe jump shot at the buzzer after he corralled a rebound off a missed jump shot, as the Lakeside Drive Hornets went into the intermission 48-37.
Pradia added to the lead to start the second half, knocking down two three-point field goals, which helped push the LC lead to 54-38. The teams continued to exchange baskets, as Lynchburg held on to a double-digit advantage. Following an Arnold dunk that gave LC a 68-53 lead, Shenandoah went on a run scoring the 10 of the next 12, cutting the deficit to seven.
Over the last seven minutes, SU began to foul on a consistent basis, routinely sending Lynchburg to the charity stripe. LC demonstrated clutch composure and made 22 free throws during that stretch. SU could get no closer, as the Hornets held on for the 99-91 win.
Graves added a team-high seven rebounds, despite the fact that rebounds were hard to come by during the game. Lynchburg shot 54.1% from the field and 89.3% from the line. While SU had a higher percentage from the floor (55.2), the Hornets from Winchester could not match the percentage from the line (63.3).
Xavier Alston led Shenandoah (4-19 overall, 3-11 ODAC) with 26 points and a game-high nine rebounds in the loss.
Lynchburg (14-9, 7-7) will host its final regular-season home game on Wednesday. The Hornets will host Guilford College at 7 p.m. in a game that will help influence ODAC tournament seedings. Lynchburg will also host Faculty Appreciation Night and honor the tireless work of all faculty.