The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team opened 2020 with a loss on Thursday night, as the Chargers lost to Cedar Crest, 58-50 in Allentown, Pa. The loss drops the Chargers to 1-7 overall this season, while the Falcons improved to 2-8.
 
How it Happened: Both teams struggled offensively in the opening minutes, as Lancaster Bible's Alaysha Iwais connected for the first bucket of the game 3:21 into the contest to give the Chargers a 3-1 lead. Cedar Crest wouldn't score until Mackenzie Borger's layup with 4:16 remaining in the opening quarter which cut Lancaster Bible's lead to 5-3. The Chargers scored on their final two possessions of the first quarter, as Jordyn Beers and Christine Graves had baskets, and Lancaster Bible led 13-8 after 10 minutes of play.
 
The offenses woke up for each squad in the second quarter, and after Lancaster Bible took a 17-12 lead early in the quarter before Cedar Crest used a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the contest. The teams battled back and forth for the rest of the quarter, and the Falcons knocked down a 3-pointer with 56 seconds remaining in the half to grab a 31-28 halftime advantage.
 
The third quarter resembled the first, as neither team could do much offensively, though the Chargers took a 35-33 lead on a jumper from Graves with 5:40 to play in the frame. Cedar Crest regained the lead a few minutes later, and took a 41-36 advantage on a 3-pointer from Borger with 3:15 remaining. Lancaster Bible cut its deficit to two late in the third quarter, but two late baskets from the Falcons gave them a 47-41 edge after 30 minutes.
 
The Chargers trailed 51-44 midway through the fourth quarter, but began to close the gap in the final minutes thanks to buckets from Beers, Via, and Graves. Graves' basket came with 54 seconds left, and trimmed the deficit to one, 51-50. Amiya Peters drained a 3-pointer late in the Falcons next possession, and Lancaster Bible couldn't convert on the other end, and Cedar Crest closed the game out with free throws.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot just 29.9 percent (20-of-67) from the floor, and 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from 3-point range…Cedar Crest didn't fare any better, shooting just 26.3 percent from the floor, though the Falcons were 9-of-22 from 3-point range…Graves had a career-best 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and also grabbed seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass…Beers added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Lizzy Tilton had eight points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals…Caitlin Hickey had eight points and seven rebounds…Ashley Wilson had a game-high 28 points for the Falcons.
 
The Coach Says: "Tonight was a tough game for us," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "Cedar Crest was physical, and we struggled against that. We also didn't play very well as a team, and didn't rebound well. We need to refocus and come together for our game on Monday night."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 2-6 all-time against Cedar Crest…This was the first contest between the two teams since the 2010-11 season when the Chargers defeated the Falcons, 79-69 at Horst Athletic Center on Jan. 29, 2011…Lancaster Bible is now 1-5 on the road this season…Hickey failed to reach double-digits for just the second time in 21 games dating back to last season…Graves previous career best was 14 points which she had last season against Penn College.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible opens a five-game homestand on Monday night against Penn St. York, as the Chargers and Nittany Lions are set to tip-off at 7 p.m.