Box Score
Annville, PA — When junior
Trey Ritzman scored a layup with 9:07 remaining in Wednesday's Commonwealth Conference tilt at Lebanon Valley College, Messiah held both a 51-45 lead and a golden opportunity to move up in the jumbled league standings.
Unfortunately, the Falcons picked an awful time to have one of their worst stretches of basketball.
Messiah scored just five points over the game's final nine minutes of play and LVC took advantage, closing the game on a 19-5 run and capturing a crucial, 64-56 win — a result that felt as bad to the Falcons in the conference standings as it did in the post-game locker room: With the defeat, Messiah (10-11, 5-6) now sits two games out of fourth place and the potential post-season tournament cut line. A win would have put the Falcons right in the mix, tied for fourth place with LVC.
“This game was there for us,” said Rick Van Pelt, Messiah head coach. “It felt like whenever we got a lead in the first or second half, we got sloppy on offense and got complacent on the defensive end. We just didn't handle success very well.”
Van Pelt's club had its fair share of prosperity, taking a 19-11 lead just 10 minutes into play off a three-pointer from freshman Brad Bolen. The Falcons' lead was still six points (26-20) when Bolen converted a twisting layup with 4:26 to go in the first half, but a 14-7 Lebanon Valley push ended the period — making it a 34-33 Dutchmen lead at the break.
Undeterred, Messiah again built a lead in the second half, nabbing a 49-43 lead off a layup from freshman Christyan DeVan at the 11:13 mark. Trey Ritzman's aforementioned layup made it a 51-47 Messiah lead with 9:07 to go, and it appeared that the Falcons were in complete control.
Sadly, it was the beginning of the end.
Messiah missed 11 of its final 13 shots from the field and turned the ball over five times following Ritzman's bucket, giving Lebanon Valley (16-6, 7-4) all the opportunity it would need: The Dutchmen slowly built as much as a nine-point lead in the final minute of play, not needing any heroics thanks to the Falcons' issues in scoring the basketball.
“We missed a couple open jumpers, a layup going to the basket, and we turned it over a few times without really being pressured into them,” Van Pelt said. “I thought we defended okay, but not as well as we have in the past. Certain games, we'll defend with a real sense of urgency. I think tonight it wasn't an effort thing, but it was a focus thing.”
Lebanon Valley converted 26 of its 48 total shots (45.8 percent), while Messiah made 24 of 54 (40.7 percent). Nearly half of the Falcons' attempts came from beyond the three-point line (26), with nine of those finding the bottom of the net (34.6 percent).
Perhaps the most glaring statistical difference came at the free throw line, however, as Messiah attempted a season-low five charity tosses, making three (60 percent). LVC, meanwhile, went to the line 20 times, making 14 (70 percent).
“To get to the foul line only five times ... we have to get there more often,” Van Pelt said. “Half of our shots were threes ... we just didn't take the ball to the basket, didn't feed the post.”
Senior Tyler Ritzman paced the Falcons' scoring, charting 13 points on five of 14 shooting. Classmate Andy Hawk registered 10 points in 14 minutes of work. DeVan and freshman David Fernandez each added seven points.
The loss was especially painful as it related to the current Commonwealth standings, as Messiah dropped into a tie for fifth-place with Widener University, a full two games out of the three-team log jam at second. With just three games remaining in the regular-season, it is almost a near certainty that Messiah would need to win out — plus get a bit of help from other teams — to qualify for the four-team, post-season tournament.
“We can only concern ourselves with Arcadia (University) now,” Van Pelt said of the team's next opponent. “We've got to win the next one. That has to be our mentality from here until the end of the season, and it will be.”
Messiah will host the Knights at Brubaker Auditorium Saturday evening. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
