For the third straight season, the Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team and Morrisville State squared off in the North Eastern Athletic Conference Semifinals, and for the third straight year, it was the team that won the regular season matchup between the schools who saw its NEAC postseason run end in the semifinals. For the 2016-17 edition, it was the Chargers who saw their NEAC postseason end as Lancaster Bible lost to the Mustangs, 60-50 in Utica, N.Y. 

Lancaster Bible had defeated Morrisville State, 68-61 during the regular season, but like the Mustangs a year ago, the Chargers couldn't complete the season sweep. The loss drops the Chargers to 19-8 overall and they will now await their fate in the NCCAA Division I Tournament. The Mustangs meanwhile, move on to the NEAC Final where they will meet top-seeded SUNY Polytechnic who crushed St. Elizabeth, 78-50 in the other semifinal.

How it Happened: Lancaster Bible opened up an 11-8 lead midway through the first quarter as sophomore Courtney Goyak and junior Kirsten Webster converted back-to-back layups with just under five minutes remaining. The Mustangs responded and took a lead late in the opening quarter, but a jumper by freshman Caitlin Hickey tied the game at 16-16 after 10 minutes of play.

Morrisville State scored 11 of the first 15 points in the second quarter and led 27-20 with 7:48 remaining in the half. Lancaster Bible answered back this time and went on a 9-2 run over the next seven minutes and tied the game at 29-29 on a 3-pointer from Hickey with 38 seconds remaining. The Mustangs added a late bucket and took a two-point lead into halftime.

Lancaster Bible started slow in the third quarter and scored just two points in the first four minutes. Trailing, 35-29, however, the Chargers scored eight straight points and took a 37-35 advantage with 4:39 remaining on a 3-pointer from Hickey. Back-to-back layups from freshman Emily Morgan and Goyak gave the Chargers another lead, 41-40, late in the quarter, but Jordan Anderson converted her own layup for the Mustangs  with 28 seconds left, to give Morrisville State a 42-41 lead after 30 minutes.

The fourth quarter got away from the Chargers quickly as they once again failed to be productive on the offensive end and the Mustangs took advantage with a 9-0 run over the first 5:10 of the quarter. Trailing 51-41, Lancaster Bible cut its deficit to seven, but a 3-pointer from Morrisville State's Allison Chase with just under four minutes to play restored the Mustangs' 10-point lead and put the Chargers away for good. 

By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the floor, including just 4-of-15 from 3-point range...Morrisville State shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the field and just 3-of-17 from beyond the arc...Hickey finished with 19 points, while Goyak also had 19 points and added 14 rebounds...Webster had eight points, three rebounds and three assists...Senior Krissy Pennell had seven assists and four rebounds...Anderson had a team-high 12 points for the Mustangs.

The Coach Says: "I'm proud of the way we have handled adversity all season," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "We never used it as an excuse and we kept working. Today's result is disappointing and not what we wanted. Morrisville State played well and outworked us. I was impressed with the way Krissy came back from her injury and helped lead us once again. It was nice to have her back as she was a huge part of this team and has helped us be successful this season.

Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 6-3 all-time against Morrisville State...The Chargers won last season's NEAC Semifinal over the Mustangs, 74-58...Lancaster Bible was outscored 38-28 in the paint...Turnovers hurt the Chargers again as they committed 20, the 12th time this season they have had 20 or more turnovers in a game...Lancaster Bible has outscored its opponents by 161 points in the first half this season, but has been outscored by nine in the fourth quarter of games this year.

Up Next: Lancaster Bible will play in the NCCAA Division I Midwest Playoffs, but must wait until all of the teams are through with their conference tournaments to see when the games are played...Check back with www.lbcchargers.com to see the latest information on the LBC women's basketball team.