The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team looked to avenge an earlier season loss to Penn St. Berks on Wednesday, but the Chargers struggled in the fourth quarter after leading for three quarters and lost to the Nittany Lions, 62-57 at Horst Athletic Center. The Chargers dropped to 3-13 overall this season, and 1-6 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play, while the Nittany Lions improved to 5-7 overall and 4-3 in NEAC action.
 
How it Happened: Lancaster Bible jumped out to a 13-2 lead over the first five minutes of the game, as the Chargers were led by Caitlin Hickey and Lizzy Tilton. Hickey scored eight of the 13 points, while Tilton knocked down a 3-pointer. The Chargers led 17-4 after a layup from Mekenzie Smith, and eventually led 19-8 after 10 minutes of play.
 
The second quarter was a more evenly played quarter, as the Nittany Lions went on a 9-4 run early in the frame to cut their deficit to six, 23-17. Hickey answered with a 3-pointer, and finished with 17 first-half points to lead the Chargers. Lancaster Bible regained its double-digit lead towards the end of the first half, and led 34-23 after 20 minutes of play.
 
Lancaster Bible continued to lead throughout the third quarter, and led by as many as 11 midway through the third frame, before taking a 50-42 advantage after 30 minutes play, as Hickey raced the length of the floor and converted a layup just before the third quarter buzzer.
 
Becca Lucente's 3-pointer with 7:51 to play gave the Chargers a 53-44 lead, but the Nittany Lions began an 11-0 run that lasted over five minutes, and took a 55-53 lead with 2:03 remaining on a layup from Kylie Herman.
 
The Chargers cut their deficit to one on two different occasions, as Lucente drained yet another 3-pointer with 23 seconds to play to make it 58-57 in favor of the Nittany Lions. Penn St. Berks guard Deanna Doddona hit two free throws to increase the lead to three, and a turnover by Lancaster Bible and two more free throws from the Nittany Lions put the game away.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 33.8 percent (23-of-68) from the field, including 5-of-19 from 3-point range…Penn St. Berks shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the floor, including 4-of-18 from beyond the arc…The Nittany Lions also shot 12-of-14 from the free throw line…Hickey finished with a team-high 21 points, while Lucente added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting…Goyak was the other player in double figures with 11 points, and also had 13 rebounds, seven of which were on the offensive glass…Lizzy Tilton added six points, nine rebounds , five steals and four assists…Kylie Herman had 21 points and eight rebounds for Penn St. Berks.
 
The Coach Says: "It's definitely frustrating to lose the way we did," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "I felt like as we entered the fourth quarter, we played not to lose instead of playing to win. We were really timid and shied away from the moment. I have to do a better job as a coach to make sure we focus on the little things as we enter the pressure moments of the game."
 
Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 15-5 all-time against Penn St. Berks…The Chargers lost 76-68 to the Nittany Lions on November 28 in Reading, Pa…Lancaster Bible had just 12 turnovers, tied for its second-lowest of the season…The Chargers posted double-digit steals (11) in a game for the third time this season…The Chargers are just 2-9 at home this season, and are 0-5 in NEAC home games…Hickey posted 20+ points for the sixth time this season, including three of her past four games.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible is scheduled to play Penn St. Abington on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Abington, Pa., though this weekend's weather event may move the game up or back depending on the track of the storm. Stay tuned to the website and our social media pages for the latest information.