The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball suffered its third straight defeat on Saturday afternoon, falling to Wheaton (Mass.), 83-63 in the consolation game of the Cougar Classic held at Kean University in Union, N.J. The Chargers are now 0-3 this season, while Lyons improved to 3-2.
 
How it Happened: The teams traded baskets to open the contest over the first four minutes, and Lizzy Tilton gave the Chargers an 8-6 lead with a 3-pointer 4:03 into the game. Lancaster Bible senior Caitlin Hickey scored the final four points of the quarter for the Chargers who trailed, 20-16 after 10 minutes of play.
 
Alaysha Iwais' jumper 1:03 into the second quarter cut Lancaster Bible's deficit to 22-20, but Wheaton (Mass.) went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to open up a 35-22 advantage. The Chargers wouldn't go away though, and cut their deficit to six, 40-34, after a 3-pointer from Hickey with 2:28 to play in the half. It would be the final basket of the half for Lancaster Bible however, and Wheaton (Mass.) led, 47-34 at the break.
 
The Lyons maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter, and stretched the advantage to 20 just prior to the end of the quarter on a layup by Sadie Shore, and led, 64-44 after 30 minutes of play.
 
Once again though, Lancaster Bible wouldn't fade, and the Chargers used a 13-0 run over the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to seven, 64-57. Four different players scored on the run, including Mikayla Via who had a layup, and Hickey who had the final six points. A 3-pointer from Tilton trimmed Lancaster Bible's deficit to six, 66-60 with 5:38 remaining, but the Lyons embarked on an 11-0 run over the next 3:18, and effectively put the game away.
 
Statistically Speaking: Lancaster Bible shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) from the floor, including 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from 3-point range…Wheaton (Mass.) shot 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the field, and 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from beyond the arc…Hickey finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists…Tilton had 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and also added seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals…Hickey and Tilton combined for six of the team's seven 3-pointers…Iwais was the other Lancaster Bible player in double figures with 10, and she also added five assists…Jordyn Beers had three points and a team-best nine rebounds, while Adalyn Steiner had two points and five boards.
 
The Coach Says: "We knew going into the weekend that it was going to be a tough tournament, and it was going to challenge us," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "We played two tough teams and competed well at times, however inconsistent defense hurt us. We would make a big shot, and then give up a transition layup going the other way."
 
More from the Weekend: "We have a lot to work on, but I'm proud of how we fought, and didn't up in either game," Vanderhoff said. "Lizzy played some of the best basketball of the year, and led us on both ends of the court, and I'm proud of her for making the All-Tournament Team."
 
News & Notes: Saturday afternoon marked the first time these two schools had ever faced one another in women's basketball action…The Chargers were 0-2 in neutral site contests last season…Tilton was named to the Cougar Classic All-Tournament Team, as she had 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists over the two games…Hickey is just 20 points from becoming the fourth player in program history to reach 1,500 points for a career.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible hosts its first game of the season next Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m., as the Chargers welcome Mount Aloysius to Horst Athletic Center.