The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team got back into the win column on Wednesday night, as the Chargers opened North Eastern Athletic Conference play with a 74-58 victory over Penn St. Berks in Reading, Pa. The Chargers are now 2-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while the Nittany Lions dropped to 0-8 overall and 0-1 in NEAC action.
 
Game Recap: Lancaster Bible jumped out to a 7-2 lead, as layups from senior Quentin Davis and sophomore Britton Beachy sandwiched around a 3-pointer from freshman Jordan Shewbridge. Back-to-back free throws from junior Luke Beers gave the Chargers a 14-7 lead with 14:36 remaining in the first half, but Lancaster Bible's offense went cold, and didn't score again until Davis completed a 3-point play to make it 17-13 with 9:46 to play.
 
The Chargers kept their small lead for the next few minutes, but a 3-pointer from Penn St. Berks' Matt Seip gave the home team a short-lived 27-26 lead. Freshman Isaac Beers erased the deficit 13 seconds later, and the Chargers never trailed again, as they took a 40-32 lead into halftime.
 
Lancaster Bible used a 10-0 run over a four-minute span early in the second half to break the game wide open, as the Chargers took a 57-37 lead on a layup from Davis with 13:22 to play. The Chargers' lead shrunk to the mid-teens a few moments later, but Lancaster Bible kept it there the rest of the way, and a 3-pointer from Shewbridge, and another layup from Davis with under a minute to play, capped the scoring, and sealed the win for the Chargers.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 37 percent (27-of-73) from the floor, but just 20 percent (6-of-30) from beyond the arc…The Chargers were 14-of-20 from the free throw line…Penn St. Berks shot 35.8 percent from the field (19-of-53), and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range…The Nittany Lions were 15-of-25 from the free throw line, but took 20 fewer shots than the Chargers, as Lancaster Bible owned the glass with a 46-35 edge in rebounds, including a 24-13 advantage on the offensive glass…Davis led the Chargers with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and also added five steals and two blocks…Shewbridge added 16 points, while Beachy was the final player in double figures with 10 points, and also added five rebounds and three assists…Luke Beers finished with eight points, while brother Isaac Beers had seven points and nine rebounds.
 
The Coach Says: "I'm proud of the effort from the guys tonight," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Andrew Wingreen said. "We found a way to win by playing tough defense, and winning the rebound margin. We didn't shoot very well again, but found other ways to win, which is what successful teams do."
 
Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 14-6 all-time against Penn St. Berks…The Chargers have won 11 of their past 12 games against Penn St. Berks…Shewbridge has 16 of Lancaster Bible's 36 3-pointers this season…Lancaster Bible has won 17 of its past 18 NEAC contests…The 35.8 shooting percentage was a season-low for a Lancaster Bible opponent, as the Chargers clamped down, and allowed their fewest points in a game as well.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible returns to Horst Athletic Center for just its second home game of the year on Saturday, as the Chargers host St. Elizabeth at 2 p.m.