The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team made it two straight wins on Monday night, earning a hard-fought victory over Penn St. Brandywine, 62-55 at Horst Athletic Center. The Chargers are now 2-1 this season, while the Nittany Lions dropped to 0-2.
 
How it Happened: For as easy as the points came for the Chargers in their 30-point first-quarter explosion on Saturday afternoon against Penn St. Schuylkill, Lancaster Bible struggled in the early-going on Monday evening, as the team scored just four points in the opening 5:20 of the quarter. Trailing, 14-6 however with three minutes to play, Lancaster Bible caught fire and went on an 11-2 run to end the quarter, and led 17-16 after 10 minutes of play, as Hope Hodges started the run with a 3-pointer. Caitlin Hickey and Courtney Goyak took over from there, and combined to score the final eight points of the quarter.
 
Both teams struggled from the floor in the second half, and after Lancaster Bible created a bit of space with a 23-19 lead following a bucket from Mekenzie Smith, the Nittany Lions fought back and eventually tied the game at 29-29 just before halftime.
 
Lancaster Bible got down early in the third quarter, and spent the rest of the third frame trying to catch up. The Chargers tied the game momentarily on a 3-pointer from Hodges that made it 37-37, but Madison D'Ambrosio gave the Nittany Lions the lead right back with a 3-pointer of her own. The Chargers would trail by one, 42-41 after 30 minutes, but saved their best quarter of the night for last.
 
The Chargers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, and grabbed a 49-42 lead after two straight free throws from Goyak. Goyak's presence was felt not only on the scoreboard, but the glass, as she pulled down rebound-after-rebound to help the Chargers take control of the game. Leading by five, 49-44, Hickey knocked down two straight 3-pointers midway through the final quarter to give the Chargers a 55-44 lead. Lizzy Tilton added a layup with 4:25 to play to give Lancaster Bible its largest lead of the game, but the Nittany Lions hung tough, and cut their deficit to four with less than 20 seconds to play.
 
Lancaster Bible battled, and Hickey knocked down two late free throws to ice the game, as the Chargers secured their second win of the season.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the floor, while Penn St. Brandywine shot 35.1 percent (20-of-57)…Goyak led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and also pulled down 22 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive glass…Hickey finished with 19 points, while Tilton had eight points, five assists and four rebounds…Hodges finished with six points, while Leah Steiner added three points and four boards…Brandi James led the Nittany Lions with 16 points.
 
The Coach Says: "We've played two close games already this season, and after having to try and come back in the opener against Penn St. Harrisburg, it was nice tonight to play with the lead, and learn how to manage the game clock," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "I love that we are learning to play in different types of games, and tonight is a night that will give our team confidence, especially the young players."
 
On Goyak's Big Night: "I think this was the best game I've ever seen her play," Vanderhoff said. "She was in control offensively, and dominated the paint."
 
On the Upcoming Weekend: "I think these first three games have helped us establish a little bit of an identity going into a very difficult weekend at the Messiah Tournament," Vanderhoff said. "St. Vincent is a strong team, and I'm excited to see how we respond to playing this type of competition. Our youngsters have a good idea of what college basketball is all about now, and we can hopefully play our type of games this weekend."
 
Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 2-5 all-time against Penn St. Brandywine…This was the first time the teams had played since December 8, 2009 when the Nittany Lions earned a 75-64 win in Media, Pa…Goyak's 20-point, 20-rebound game was the 16th of her career, and first of the season…The Chargers are outscoring their opponents, 57-36 in the first quarter of games this season.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible takes on St. Vincent on Friday night at the Hampton Inn Tip-Off Classic in Grantham, Pa…Messiah, the tournament host, will play Wesley in Friday's other game…The losers and winners of Friday's games will play on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.