BOX SCORE

Annville, Pa. (Dec. 17, 2008) - Senior guard David Washington (Durham, N.C./Northern Durham) hit a 3 with 1:16 left that cut what was an eight-point deficit down to three, but then got whistled for a technical foul heading into a timeout that led to three points on the other end for Lebanon Valley College (5-3) as it held off Alvernia University (4-5) in a 72-63 win Wednesday evening in non-conference men's basketball action at LVC Gymnasium.

The Dutchmen hit a jumper with 2:26 to play to establish the eight-point lead, 66-58, but Alvernia senior Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester), one of four Crusaders to reach double figures in scoring with a dozen, answered in the paint on the other end.  Alvernia got a stop when LVC missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Washington was forced to use a timeout when he got tied up bringing the ball up the court.

He got tangled with the LVC defender as he asked for the timeout and drew the technical for elbowing the defender as they untangled.  LVC hit both technical free throws with 52 seconds left to go back up five and one of the next two as Alvernia spent a foul on the next defensive possession.  The Crusaders failed to convert the rest of the way as the Dutchmen added another free throw and a layup for the final margin.

After trailing by just two at halftime Alvernia failed to find the range in the second half shooting 27 percent from the floor including 2-of-10 from 3-point range.  Alvernia hit 4-of-9 free throws on the night while the host Dutchmen thrived at the line going 20-of-28 from the stripe.

Alvernia senior Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Academy) led the Crusaders with 14 points.  Washington finished with 13 and sophomore Eric Barefield (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) threw in 10.  LVC got a game-high 18 from Dan Hodge (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff) and 17 from Kyle Enoch (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield).

LVC quickly jumped out to a seven point lead, 9-2, and built it to eight at the 13:38 mark before 10 straight from the Crusaders, capped by back-to-back 3s from Derek Dubbs (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata), gave the guests a two-point edge.

Alvernia led by as many as five points in the first half, but LVC battled back to take a 42-40 lead into the halftime break.  The Crusaders connected on 47 percent of their first-half shots including 3-of-5 from the arc, but LVC bettered that at 54 percent from the floor and threw in 13-of-14 from the free throw line.

Alvernia scored the first six points of the second half sparked by back-to-back layups from Bradley, but Leb Val scored nine of the next 10 to take a four-point lead with 12:42 to go.  Alvernia trimmed that to a slim one-point deficit, but LVC went on a 10-1 run over a six-minute span to hold the eight-point lead with just better than two minutes to play.

Alvernia is off for the break and will face Penn State-Behrend at the York (Pa.) Tournament on Jan. 3.

Lebanon Valley 72, Alvernia 63