Sophomore Rob Pillow IV hit the game-winner with 2.1 seconds left to lead Lycoming to a 65-63 win over Lebanon Valley.

Men's Basketball 2/12/2014 11:10:00 PM

One Cool Pillow: Warriors top Dutchmen, 65-63

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – As the shot clock ran down with 27 seconds left in Wednesday night, Feb. 12's Commonwealth Conference game, senior Michael Rudy (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) lofted a layup into the lane and sophomore Rob Pillow IV (Anchorage, Alaska/Robinson Secondary (Va.)) crashed the board and grabbed the rebound, then pulled back and waited. With seven seconds left, he made his move, dribbling left, then pulling up and hitting a 17-footer with 2.1 ticks remaining, giving the Lycoming College men's basketball team a critical 65-63 Commonwealth Conference win.
 
The win keeps Lycoming's playoff hopes alive as it improved to 10-11 overall and 6-9 in the Commonwealth Conference, as it stayed two games behind Albright for the fifth and final conference playoff slot with three games remaining, with one of those at Albright on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and another against fourth-place Hood on Feb. 22.
 
Lebanon Valley, which had won four straight, fell to 9-13 overall and 7-8 in the Commonwealth, as the loss dropped them a game behind the Lions.
 
"Lebanon Valley is the hottest team in the league," Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. "It was really a challenge for us. It was like a roller coaster for us. There were some highs, some lows. As the game went on, we did a much better job being patient on the offensive end and stepping into some good shots. Rob did a great job making those shots."
 
The Warriors, much like the women's game, found themselves behind by 12 points before mounting a comeback. Down 54-42 with 11:00 left, the Warriors began to rally when Pillow hit a layup and sophomore Eric Ishman (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) followed with a 3-pointer to make it a seven-point game. The Dutchmen got the lead back to 10 points with 7:45 left, but Lycoming cut the lead to four points over the next two minutes with a six-point run, the last four from Rudy.
 
After trading points, Pillow got an open look from three with 3:50 left, knocking down the trey and with 2:45 left, he canned the game-tying three on a dish from senior Kevin Anthony (Columbus, Ohio/Bridgton Academy). After a pair of blocks, both by Anthony on the Dutchmen's next possession, Anthony broke free on a breakaway and was intentionally fouled. He hit one of his two free throws and sophomore John Monkam (Lanham, Md./DuVal) added another with 1:22 left, but Lebanon Valley's Mike Fasano tied it at 63 with his own 17-footer with 1:09 left.
 
The Warriors struggled to find a solid look on the ensuing possession before Rudy got the ball down low with the shot clock nearing four seconds, as his layup set up the game-clinching possession.
 
The Warriors jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first half, with junior Pat Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) hitting a trey on the fastbreak with 16:45 left. The Warriors got the lead to as many as eight at 25-17 with 10:05 left, but an 8-0 run by Lebanon Valley tied the game at 25. Neither team led by more than three the rest of the half, with a jumper by Kevin Agnew making it a 37-34 LVC lead at the break.
 
Agnew, the league's leading scorer, continued to terrorize the Warriors in the second half, hitting three 3-pointers in the first six minutes to build Lebanon Valley's lead to 10 points before Fasano hit a jumper to make it a 12-point game at 52-40 with 11:58 left. After both teams traded two points, the Warriors mounted their comeback.
 
The Warriors improved to 8-1 when shooting 50 percent from the floor, finishing 26-of-50 from the floor (52 percent) and they also held the Dutchmen to 38 percent (21-of-56) from the field.
 
Pillow led the Warriors with 15 points, one shy of his career high, three 3-pointers and three steals. Rudy added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists as he surpassed 750 career points and Anthony posted 12 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three helpers. Dougher also finished with 10 points and three assists, while Monkam finished with seven points and four rebounds.
 
Agnew finished with 30 points, six 3-pointers, and two steals. Fasano and Zach Mrozek added 10 points.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Feb. 15, when they host Arcadia at 3 p.m. at Dutch Burch Court at Lamade Gym in a Commonwealth Conference game.