Knights close season with 65-55 loss to LebVal

Box Score
GLENSIDE, Pa.: Although today's Commonwealth Conference season ending game held no playoff implications for either team, Arcadia University was looking for both a season sweep of Lebanon Valley and to end the year on a winning note, but those hopes were dashed by the visiting Dutchmen who won today's game 65-55 at the Kuch Center. Senior Jason Thompson opened the scoring for the Knights and finished with 10 points in his career finale.

Playing out as if it was the second half, the first half began in Arcadia's favor for the first time in a handful of games and the Knights went to their lone graduating senior for the boost. Thompson hit a jumper, two at the line and another two-pointer helping Arcadia out to an early 8-3 lead. When LVC got on the board, it was a three-pointer from Matt O'Brien, in game where both teams struggled from long-range. LVC would finish 3 for 13 (23%) while the Knights hit just one of their 13 tries (7%), but every made trey proved a difference make.

LVC climbed back in using a bucket from the league's second-leading scorer Danny Brooks and a steal and fast break layup from Jordan Stewart, leaving the Knights just a one point advantage on the scoreboard, 8-7 after five minutes of play. Arcadia first year Aaron Lee-Webb hit two straight jumpers to lift the Knights back up by 5 (12-7). First year Joe Brown and junior Malcolm Still each followed with buckets giving the Knights an 8 point lead, 16-8 with 11:25 left in the opening half.

Over the past few games, after falling behind in the early going, this would be the time the Knights would turn it on with an offensive run, but instead, it was the Dutchmen who controlled the next 7 minutes, using an 14-0 run to position themselves the front-runner on the scoreboard, up 22-16 with 4:33 to play. Brooks scored four of LVC'snext six, leaving Arcadia a two point lead (16-14) at 7:32. A layup from O'Brien tied the game at 16-all at 7:08 before the league's top-scorer Joe Meehan scored six straight giving LVC a 22-16advantage.

Thompson stopped the bleeding at 3:13 and senior Colin McCarthy hit his team's only trey of the contest at 3:08. That bucket made it 22-21 LVC. McCarthy, one of the league's top free throw shooting threats, hit both of his attempts with 1:12 to go giving the lead back to the Knights 23-22, but an Arcadia foul gave possession back to the Dutchmen who went to O'Brien for two to close the half with LVC up 24-23.

The lead changed hands four times in the early going of the second. Brown gave Arcadia the lead back with a jump shot but Stewart took it right back with a two-pointer for LVC. A fast break from Brown on the next play allowed Arcadia a 26-25 advantage at 17:38 and that would be the last time the Knights held bragging rights. A bucket from O'Brien at 17:26 gave the lead back to the Dutchmen 28-27 and less than two minutes later, Stewart drained a three for a six point LVC lead (35-29). Kevin Agnew added another from distance at 13:53 to lift the Dutchmen to an 11-point advantage (40-29), a lead the visitors never relinquished. A put-back from Still at 9:25 did bring the Knights back to within five (43-38) but the Dutchmen kept going to their top guns in Stewart, Brooks and Meehan and as the Knights fouled down the stretch, LVC was almost flawless, hitting 6 of 7 at the line in the final minute to win by ten, 65-55.

Meehan finished 11 of 14 at the line and led all scorer's with 21 points (6 rb., 6 ast., 2 stl.). Brooks scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while Stewart added 11 points and 9 rebounds for the Dutchmen.

McCarthy led the Knights with 13 points, 6 rebounds (going 6 for 7 at the line). Still finished with 9 points while Brown added 8 points and 5 rebounds.

The Dutchmen (12-13, 5-9 CC) edged the Knights on the glass 39-37 and out-shot Arcadia (9-16, 2-12 CC) 46%- 35% from the floor, while the Knights bettered LVC at the line 75% - 70%.

For Jason Thompson, the team's lone graduating senior closed a four-year collegiate career with 10 points in his finale. He finishes with 578 career points, 327 scored from beyond the arc as one of the Knight's top three-point threats over the years. Other career totals include 110 rebounds, 127 assists, and 60 steals. He has made 67 appearances as a Knight's starter in 90 games played. Jason will receive his undergraduate degree in Communications/Print in May.

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