Reading, Pa. (Dec. 3, 2016) – Senior Marquis Marshall scored a team-high 21 points including a huge baseline jumper late in the game leading Alvernia University (4-2, 1-1) to a 76-70 win over Lebanon Valley (3-4, 1-1) Saturday afternoon in MAC Commonwealth men's basketball action at the Physical Education Center.
 
"I'm glad we were finally able to finish off a game where we had a big lead," said Alvernia head coach Mike Miller after the game.  "I was a little nervous when they went ahead by one, but we responded."
 
Alvernia built a 12-point lead early in the second half only to see LVC come back for a 64-63 lead with 3:37 to play.  Sophomore George Williams scored on a fastbreak layup to regain the lead, and the Crusaders held the lead the rest of the way.
 
Marshall, who went 10-for-18 from the floor with seven boards, went toe-to-toe with fellow d3hoops.com preseason All-American, LVC junior Andy Orr, 22 points, six rebounds, in the second league game of the season for both teams.
 
The All-Americans scored first six points of the game and the Crusaders held a 4-3 advantage of two baseline jumpers from Marshall.
 
Lebanon Valley took a 15-10 lead midway through the first half, but Alvernia got five straight from freshman reserve Steve Pendleton and Marshall capped the 7-0 run with a jumper in the lane.
 
The game remained a one-possession spread until Alex Shippen hit a pair of free throws to put the Crusaders up five points, 31-26, with 3:23 left in the half.  The gap grew to six points at the half, 34-28, and could have been eight, but Pendleton had a bucket waived off on a charge call on the Crusaders final possession of the half.
 
The Crusaders slowly built the second half lead to double digits taking a 46-35 lead with 13:09 left in the game.
 
The lead hit 12 points, 53-41, when Mike Miller Jr. knocked down a 3 at 11:16.
 
The Dutchmen finally put together a run with under eight left with junior Sam Light knocking down a 3 that put the guests up 64-63 with 3:37 left.  It capped a 14-3 run during which Light tallied eight of his 19.  Orr led all scorers with 22.
 
After an empty possession for both teams, George Williams grabbed a defensive board and emerged from the lane to run the length of the floor and drop in a lead-changing layup over an outstretched Orr.
 
The Dutchmen failed to covert again at the offensive end and after draining most of the shot clock, Marshall knocked down a huge jumper from the right baseline to put Alvernia up 67-64 with 1:58 to go.
 
LVC got a layup from Will Buccanfuso to cut the gap to one, but Shippen answered cutting in on the back side of the lane and converting a feed from Reid Hoff.
 
Orr missed a short jumper and Williams hit 1-of-2 from the line for a 70-66 lead with 39 seconds left, and the Crusaders went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch to seal the win.
 
Alvernia continues the conference schedule at Messiah next Saturday.
 
Alvernia 76, Lebanon Valley 70