You could have been in the stands or just have read the box score to know that Tuesday afternoon's women's basketball between Lancaster Bible College and Philadelphia Biblical University was not pretty. It was in fact, ugly.

However ugly though, the Chargers battled through 22 turnovers and 35 percent shooting to beat the Crimson Eagles, 51-35. The win is the Chargers' second of the season over PBU. LBC had defeated PBU twice in the same season five times now, but this is the first since the 1998-99 campaign.

Lacy McClaine continued to shoot the ball well, knocking down three 3-pointers as part of her 15 points.

"Lacy has started to understand what we expect of her," Chargers' Head Coach Doug Helsel said. "She is starting to see the difference between good shots and bad shots and is playing very well all-around for us."

Up 25-14 at halftime, Helsel said he wasn't displeased with the Chargers' shot selection in the first half, just the fact they didn't go in.

"We took smart shots, they just didn't go in and it basically made us look as though we shot terribly," Helsel said. "Fortunately, our defense forced them to take some bad shots and they were having their own shooting troubles as well."

LBC shot 33 percent (8-of-24) in the first half, while PBU shot 20 percent (6-of-30). For the game, the Crimson Eagles shot just 22 percent, something Helsel thought his team's defense contributed to.

"We have been making improvements on things we can control throughout the game, and tonight we were out on the shooter, we boxed out and rebounded and I thought our defensive positioning was great," Helsel said.

Emily Lloyd added nine points and five rebounds for LBC and connected on her first four shots.

"She has been showing more confidence out there and has done a great job squaring herself to the basket before she shoots," Helsel said.

Senior Nicole Karschner had 10 points and three boards, while Vanessa Clemenson chipped in with six points and six rebounds.

Despite the turnovers and stretches of poor shooting, Helsel said he thinks the team is improving and is looking forward to Thursday night's game against Lancaster County neighbor Elizabethtown College.

"We hope to get a good workout on Thursday night," Helsel said. "They are a great team and it will be a challenge to see if we can execute like we normally do. We think we have a shot at winning and though winning is the goal, if we go there and play well and still lose, we will know we have accomplished something."

Notes:
-The other seasons in which LBC defeated PBU twice in the same season are: 1996-97, 1980-81, and 1979-80.

-Game time was moved up to 4:00 p.m. from 7:00 p.m. due to the snow storm headed toward Lancaster and Philadelphia.

-With the win, LBC can finish no lower than second in the NCCAA East Region, thus assuring them a home game in the playoffs. Should they defeat Valley Forge Christian twice, they will be the number one seed.

-Thursday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.