MAC Commonwealth Tournament Play-In Game
Lebanon Valley 76, Alvernia 66
LVC Starters
Davis, Light, Conrad, Boccanfuso, Orr
Alvernia Starters
Shippen, Marshall, Williams, Hoff, Miller
How It Happened
Lebanon Valley proved how tough it can be to defeat a team three times in a single season, erasing a pair of early-season losses to Alvernia and upsetting the Crusaders 76-66 in the Play-In Game of the MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament on Monday night.
The Flying Dutchmen (16-10) led by as many as 12 points midway through the second half before the home team, powered by a handful of free throws and a jumper or two from Marquis Marshall, clawed back and cut the deficit to 56-54 with 5:19 left to play.
Marquis Davis halted the Alvernia momentum with a clutch old-fashioned three-point play on a double-pump layup off glass on the ensuing possession before converting a pretty left-handed layup after Sam Light knocked down a jumper moments earlier.
From there, the squads traded buckets before another Davis layup pushed the advantage back to double-digits with 2:18 remaining.
Marshall connected on back-to-back jump shots to draw the Crusaders (15-11) within six with 59 seconds left but Light was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute, sealing the victory and pushing the Dutchmen into the semifinal round of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
LVC led by as much as 10 in the first half when Light buried a jumper at the 5:11 mark but Alvernia closed out the half on a 12-4 run to cut the Lebanon Valley lead to 34-32 heading into the break.
A three-ball from Reid Hoff and a Marshall mid-range jumper gave the Crusaders a 13-6 advantage less than six minutes into the contest but the Dutchmen netted the game's next nine markers, capped by a Caleb Barwin triple, to give the visitors their first lead of the night with 9:50 left in the first half.
Inside the Numbers
- LVC shot a solid 46.6 percent from the floor, including 48.2 percent in the second half.
- The Dutchmen were especially impressive from the foul line, converting at an 81 percent clip (17-21).
- Despite making just five treys, Lebanon Valley was efficient, shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.
- The Dutchmen won the rebounding battle 37-34.
- Monday's game featured the three top-scorers in the MAC Commonwealth in Sam Light, Marquis Marshall, and Andy Orr.
- Light netted a game-high 32 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Will Boccanfuso also pulled in nine boards for LVC.
- Orr scored 17 to go along with seven boards, two assists, and a block.
- Marquis Davis was key in leading the Lebanon Valley to victory thanks to his 17-point, four-assist outing on 7-9 shooting. Travis Conrad also dished-out four assists.
- Marshall recorded a double-double for the Crusaders and finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.
- George Williams was the only other Alvernia player to reach the double-digit scoring mark with 14, while Ron Adams corralled 10 boards.
Who's Next?
The Dutchmen move on to the semifinal round of the MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament. LVC will travel to top-seeded Lycoming on Wednesday night with a date in the conference final at stake.