The Lancaster Bible College team exploded in the second half and overcame a six-point halftime deficit on Wednesday evening to defeat Penn St. Berks, 82-68 at Horst Athletic Center. The Chargers' third straight victory improves them to 5-8 overall and 3-1 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play, while the Nittany Lions remained winless at 0-12 overall and 0-4 in conference action.
 
How it Happened: Trailing 5-2 early in the contest, Jordan Shewbridge and Brett Bechler knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers for the Chargers to give the home team a three-point advantage. The teams exchanged baskets for the next 10 minutes, and Brion Elliott gave Lancaster Bible a 23-19 lead with 7:23 remaining.
 
The Chargers led, 33-32 later in the quarter after a jumper from Shewbridge, but Penn St. Berks scored eight of the final nine points of the half, and took a 40-34 lead into the half.
 
After Lancaster Bible cut into the Nittany Lions' lead early in the second half, Penn St. Berks restored its six-point advantage, 48-42, with 17:11 remaining. The Chargers trailed, 49-44 a minute later, but embarked on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 58-49 advantage. William Afoakwah had the final five points of the scoring run, as he had two straight layups at the basket.
 
The lead grew to double digits with 5:07 remaining, as Kaleb Murry converted a layup, and the adjoining free throw for a three-point play, and the Chargers never looked back. Elliott had two straight layups a minute later, and Lancaster Bible led 76-61 with under four minutes to play. The Chargers dominated the paint in the second half, and outscored the Nittany Lions, 36-12 in the lane in the second frame.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the field, but just 4-of-18 from 3-point range…Penn St. Berks shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor, including 10-of-33 from beyond the arc…Lancaster Bible outscored the Nittany Lions, 52-28 in the paint, and the Chargers' bench outpaced the Nittany Lions bench, 38-17…Shewbridge led four players in double figures with 15 points, and also added three assists and two rebounds…Elliott had 11 points and four boards, while Kaleb Murry was the third player in double digits with 10 points, and also added four steals and three rebounds…Adam Stoltzfus was the final players in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and also added eight rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass…Britton Beachy added seven points and six boards, while Luke Beers and Afoakwah had seven points…Penn St. Berks guard Jeff Lorah led all scorers with 22 points, as he connected on seven of the team's ten 3-pointers.
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 16-6 all-time against Penn St. Berks…The Chargers have defeated the Nittany Lions five straight times, and have not lost to Penn St. Berks since the 2016-17 season…Lancaster Bible is now 4-2 at home this season, and has won four straight…The Chargers continued their streak of solid shooting from the field, and have now shot better than 43 percent from the floor in four straight games and five of the past six…Lancaster Bible had a season-low 12 turnovers on Wednesday, and the 82 points scored are the most since Lancaster Bible posted 85 in a victory over Marywood on November 16…Shewbridge has scored 15 or more points in six of his last seven games…Stoltzfus' 10 points were a career-high.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible will play its next two games on the road, beginning with another NEAC South Division contest on Saturday at Penn St. Harrisburg…Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.