Lebanon Valley (12-8, 4-5 CC) grabbed a 73-63 lead with 7:27 left when Eric Humphrey hit the second of back-to-back layups. Widener (11-8, 6-3) responded with a 9-2 burst in just under two minutes, including two 3-pointers from senior Essien Ford, for a 75-72 margin with 5:48 to go.
The Dutchmen increased their lead to 78-73 when James Shinn drilled 1-of-2 free throws with 2:48 left. But sophomore Nyere Miller continued his torrid shooting for Widener, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:22 left for a two-point margin.
With Enoch closely guarded, Lebanon Valley turned to Hunter Bretschneider and he responded. The senior drained a clutch 3-pointer from the left baseline with 1:02 left for an 81-76 cushion.
Ford missed a 3-pointer and after senior Terry Smith grabbed the offensive rebound, he fell to the ground and was called for traveling. Enoch made two from the line to make it 83-76 with 40 seconds to play.
Enoch shot 9-of-12 from the floor, helping the Flying Dutchmen hit 54 percent (31-of-57) overall and 12-of-22 from beyond the arc. Enoch scored 19 points in the second half, during which Lebanon Valley shot 61 percent (17-of-28) overall and 7-of-10 from 3-point range.
Shinn had 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, Bretschneider scored 13 points and Humphrey netted 11.
Miller finished with career bests of 22 points and seven 3-pointers for Widener, which shot 44 percent (26-of-59) overall with a season-high 14 three-pointers. Senior Malcolm Thomas scored 21 points, Ford had 12 and Smith ended with 10 and nine rebounds.
Widener is home Saturday against Juniata as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. The women’s game begins at 1:00 pm, followed by the men’s contest at 3:00 pm.
Lebanon Valley vs Widener 1/31/07 7:00 pm at Chester, PA At Chester, PA LEBANON VALLEY 87, WIDENER 78 LEBANON VALLEY (12-8, 4-5 CC) Kyle Enoch 9-12 4-4 31; James Shinn 6-9 3-6 15; H. Bretschneider 5-8 0-0 13; Eric Humphrey 5-8 1-2 11; Peter Ruth 3-5 1-2 7; Jimmy Curran 1-9 4-4 6; Brian Wolensky 1-1 0-0 2; Dan Hodge 1-4 0-2 2; Luke Foster 0-0 0-0 0; Dan Dunkelberger 0-1 0-0 0; Dustin Kerns 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-57 13-20 87. WIDENER (11-8, 6-3 CC) Miller, Nyere 7-14 1-2 22; Thomas, Malcolm 7-11 5-6 21; Ford, Essien 4-14 2-2 12; Smith, Terry 5-11 0-2 10; Edmunds, Bobby 2-2 0-0 6; Douglas, David 0-2 4-4 4; Jones, James 1-2 0-0 3; Sosna, Matt 0-1 0-0 0; O'Connor, Brian 0-1 0-0 0; Johnson, Jamarr 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 12-16 78. Lebanon Valley................ 38 49 - 87 Widener....................... 38 40 - 78 3-point goals-Lebanon Valley 12-22 (Kyle Enoch 9-11; H. Bretschneider 3-6; Jimmy Curran 0-2; Dan Hodge 0-3), Widener 14-29 (Miller, Nyere 7-12; Ford, Essien 2-9; Thomas, Malcolm 2-4; Edmunds, Bobby 2-2; Jones, James 1-1; O'Connor, Brian 0-1). Fouled out--Lebanon Valley-None, Widener-None. Rebounds-Lebanon Valley 34 (James Shinn 12), Widener 29 (Smith, Terry 9). Assists-Lebanon Valley 20 (H. Bretschneider 8), Widener 17 (Thomas, Malcolm 5; Ford, Essien 5). Total fouls-Lebanon Valley 18, Widener 20. A-275