The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team lost for the fourth time in five games on Friday night, falling to Penn St. Harrisburg, 61-58 in Middletown, Pa. The loss drops the Chargers to 3-11 overall and 1-4 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play, while the Nittany Lions improved to 6-8 overall and 4-1 in NEAC action.
 
How it Happened: The Chargers raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first 2:12 of the opening quarter, as Alaysha Iwais had two baskets, while Lizzy Tilton and Jordyn Beers also had buckets. Lancaster Bible kept the momentum going throughout the entire opening frame, and Hope Hodges' 3-pointer with 1:19 proved to be the final basket of the quarter, and the Chargers led, 22-9 after 10 minutes of play.
 
Penn St. Harrisburg cut into Lancaster Bible's lead in the second quarter, trimming it to three at one point, but the Chargers responded and the visitors led, 32-26 at the break, as Lizzy Tilton had Lancaster Bible's final four points of the half.
 
The teams exchanged baskets for much of the third quarter, as the Nittany Lions tied the contest on two occasions before finally taking their first lead of the game with 1:16 to play in the third quarter. Caitlin Hickey restored the Chargers' lead a moment later, but Penn St. Harrisburg scored the final six points of the quarter and led, 50-46 after 30 minutes.
 
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, as each team held leads, including when Iwais put the Chargers ahead, 55-54 on a layup with 4:50 to play. Tilton was fouled with under two minutes to play, and her free throws tied the game at 58-58 where it stayed until 10 seconds to play. Out of a timeout, Penn St. Harrisburg's Kendis Butler took an in-bounds pass and drove across the lane. Her left-handled up-and-under shot rattled on the rim and went through the hoop giving the Nittany Lions a 60-58 lead. The Chargers had two late chances to tie the game, but couldn't convert, and fell to 1-4 in NEAC play.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 36.4 percent (24-of-66) from the field, but just 4-of-22 from 3-point range, and 6-of-14 from the free throw line…Penn St. Harrisburg shot 37.3 percent (19-of-51) from the floor, including 7-of-28 from 3-point range, and 16-of-23 from the free throw line…Iwais led all scorers with 21 points, a new career high, while Tilton had 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals…Hickey added eight points and 10 rebounds, while Beers had six points and seven rebounds…Hodges also added six points, as she had two of Lancaster Bible's four 3-pointers…Madison Hemler led the Nittany Lions with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 7-9 all-time against Penn St. Harrisburg…The Nittany Lions defeated the Chargers, 57-45 last season in Middletown, Pa…Lancaster Bible is now 1-6 on the road this season…Lancaster Bible's last three losses are by a combined 14 points, as the Chargers have suffered a seven-point loss to Keuka, a four-point loss to Penn St. Berks, and Friday's three-point loss to Penn St. Harrisburg…The Nittany Lions' leading scorer on Friday, Madison Hemler, was also a thorn in the side of the Lancaster Bible women's soccer team earlier this year when she tied the NEAC Quarterfinal match between the two teams on a goal in the 71^st minute, as the Nittany Lions came back to defeat the Chargers, 3-2 on November 5…Friday's game was originally to be played on Saturday afternoon, but was moved up due to the snowy forecast for the region.
 
Up Next: The Chargers return to action next Wednesday when they face Gallaudet at 7 p.m. in Washington, D.C.