The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team opened 2017 with a victory on Monday night as the Chargers defeated NAIA foe Washington Adventist, 63-60 at Horst Athletic Center. The victory propels the Chargers to 5-4 this season, while the Shock dropped to 2-12. 

How it Happened: In what would become the evening's theme, the first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as each team found its footing coming off the Christmas break. After trailing, 9-8, Lancaster Bible rattled off six straight points to grab a 14-9 lead with 3:05 remaining in the opening quarter. All 14 of Lancaster Bible's points scored in the first quarter came via freshman Caitlin Hickey and sophomore Courtney Goyak, but a late 8-0 run by the Shock gave the visitors an 18-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.

Washington Adventist took its own five-point lead at 21-16 just under a minute into the second quarter, but were held scoreless over the next 5:45 as Lancaster Bible used a 6-0 run over the span to grab a 22-21 lead after layup from Kirsten Webster. The teams exchanged buckets over the final three minutes of the quarter and freshman Emily Morgan's jumper with 21 seconds remaining sent the teams to halftime tied at 28-28.

The Shock restored its five-point lead, 35-30, three minutes into the third quarter as Courtney Jenkins drained her only 3-pointer of the game. The Chargers were unfazed again as senior Krissy Pennell knocked down back-to-back triples to give Lancaster Bible a 36-35 lead with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter. Each team had a lead of four points later in the quarter, but neither could pull away and the teams entered the fourth quarter knotted at 46-46. 

The teams continued to engage in a back-and-forth through much of the fourth quarter, but after another 3-pointer from Pennell gave the Chargers a 58-56 lead with 4:14 to go, Lancaster Bible was able to hold Washington Adventist scoreless on its next two possessions and Hickey knocked down a huge 3-pointer with 2:16 left to give the Chargers a 61-56 advantage. The Shock fought back and cut their deficit to one, 61-60, with 33 seconds to play, but Goyak hit both free throws with 16 seconds to play and Washington Adventist could not get a great shot off in the final seconds.

By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the floor, while Washington Adventist shot 39.7 percent (25-of-63)...The game featured just 23 fouls and the teams combined for just 13 free throw attempts...Goyak led all scorers with 22 points and she also pulled down 18 rebounds...Pennell finished with 16 points and eight assists, while Hickey added 11 points and three assists...Morgan was also in double figures with 10 points...Nicole Cunningham led the Shock with 14 points.

The Coach Says: "This is a huge confidence boost for us," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "We didn't play our best, but played well down the stretch and were able to get the win."

On the Play of Pennell: "Krissy has matured as a player this season and she played like a senior point guard tonight," Vanderhoff said. "She is playing with confidence and is leading this team."

Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 2-2 all-time against Washington Adventist...Monday marked the first meeting between the teams since the 1988-89 season when Washington Adventist was named Columbia Union...Lancaster Bible's six free throw attempts were a season-low, though they did make all six...The Chargers are 4-2 at home this season, but will play just six of their final 16 games of the season at Horst Athletic Center.

Up Next: Lancaster Bible returns to North Eastern Athletic Conference play on Sunday as the Chargers face Bryn Athyn at 3 p.m. in Bryn Athyn, Pa...The matchup is between the top two teams in the NEAC South Division as both teams enter the contest with 4-0 conference records.