ANNVILLE, Pa. --- Junior forward Brandon McGuire picked up his second double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds while freshman guard Jimmy Murray tossed in a career-best 26 points as the Moravian College men's basketball team posted an 86-81 non-conference victory at Lebanon Valley College Sunday afternoon.
The duo shot 18-for-37 from the floor, 5-of-14 on three-pointers and 12-for-17 at the foul line as the Greyhounds won for the second time in three games under first-year Head Coach Justin Potts. McGuire also had three assists while Murray contributed three steals. Freshman forward Oneil Holder was also in double figures for the Blue and Grey with 12 points to go with three rebounds and a pair of steals.
Junior guard Sean Hanna tossed in nine points and added five assists and three boards while freshman guard Jake McGee had six points, two rebounds and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Matt Cardonne tossed in five points and pulled down four boards while junior guard Isaiah Jennings contributed five assists and four steals.
Moravian's up-tempo pressure style of play forced the Flying Dutchmen into 23 turnovers while the Hounds had just 13 turnovers. The Greyhounds also limited Lebanon Valley to just four assists on their 27 baskets while Moravian had 18 assists on 28 field goals. Moravian made 13 steals in the victory while LVC had just five.
The teams traded baskets early until Murray gave the Greyhounds an 8-4 lead at the 18:16 mark. Moravian pushed that lead to 14-6 on a three-point play from Holder with 14:51 on the clock, however; Lebanon Valley scored 13 of the next 15 points to take a 19-17 lead with 9:53 remaining.
The Flying Dutchmen eventually built a four-point lead, 30-26, but LVC would score just four points over the final 6:20 of the half while Moravian netted 13 points to head to the locker room with a 39-34 lead. The Hounds lead would reach seven points on a pair of Murray free throws with 38 ticks on the clock, and when Moravian took a 33-32 lead on a McGee free throw at the 2:29 mark of the first half, it would be an advantage that the Greyhounds would enjoy for the rest of the game.
The Hounds saw their lead trimmed to one point, 41-40, early in the second half before slowing pulling away. McGuire pushed the lead to double-digits, 58-47, with a lay-up at the 12:40 mark, and back-to-back three-pointers by Murray and McGuire gave the Hounds their largest lead of the game 13 points, 64-51, with just over 10 minutes to play. Moravian would add nine free throws over the final 4:21 to seal the victory.
The Greyhounds will return home from their four-game road trip to begin the 2015-16 Landmark Conference season on Wednesday, December 2 when Moravian hosts Goucher College in Johnston Hall with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.
