The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team won for the sixth time in seven games on Wednesday night, defeating Penn College, 72-51 in Williamsport, Pa. The Chargers climb over the .500 mark for the first time this season with the win, and are now 11-10 overall and 9-3 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play. The loss sends the Wildcats to 6-15 overall and 4-8 in conference play, and Lancaster Bible has secured second place in the NEAC South Division standings, and will host a NEAC Quarterfinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at Horst Athletic Center.
 
How it Happened: Jordan Shewbridge and William Afoakwah combined the score the first 11 points for the Chargers over the opening six minutes, but it was Penn College who took the early lead, as the Wildcats led 16-12 with 12 minutes to play in the opening half after a layup from Ben Sosa.
 
Two more baskets from Shewbridge and Afoakwah tied the game at 16-16, and Lancaster Bible took a 19-18 lead on a 3-pointer from Kobe Devine with 9:09 remaining in the first half. With the Chargers leading by three, 28-25 with under three minutes to play, Lancaster Bible got back-to-back 3-pointers from Luke Beers and Shewbridge to expand the advantage to 34-25 with 2:08 remaining.
 
Devine hit another late 3-pointer, and Beers closed the half with yet another triple with five seconds to play, and Lancaster Bible led 40-27 after 20 minutes of play, as the team knocked down seven 3-pointers in the opening half.
 
A layup from Beers opened the second half, and Shewbridge followed with a three-point play to increase the Lancaster Bible lead to 18, and though Penn College cut it to 13 a moment later, Shewbridge's 3-pointer with 16:17 to play brought Lancaster Bible's lead to 20 at 52-32.
 
Lancaster Bible maintained a lead in the high teens for the rest of the half, and baskets from Shewbridge and Britton Beachy on two straight possessions increased the lead to 22 with 3:15 to play. Late free throws from Penn College produced the final score, as the Chargers defeated the Wildcats for the 14^th straight time.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 41.2 percent (28-of-68) from the floor, including 9-of-29 from 3-point range…The Chargers were just 6-of-14 from the free throw line…Penn College shot 38.3 percent (18-of-47) from the field, including 4-of-21 of beyond the arc…Shewbridge finished with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, and added four rebounds…Beers had 14 points, nine boards, and three assists, while Afoakwah had 12 points and 10 boards on 6-of-6 shooting from the field…Devine added eight points and two steals, while Beachy had six points, three rebounds, and three assists…Ben Sosa had 15 points to lead the Wildcats.
 
The Coach Says: "We played out most consistent game on both ends tonight," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Jon Mack said. "I was proud of our preparation and approach to today's game, as we had two great practices the past two days after coming off a low performance week. I thought we were mentally and physically ready today, and when we take care of the ball, our defense becomes our best offense."
 
On the rest of the season: "At this point in the season, we need to continue to get better and strive to play our best ball on every possession," Mack said. "We have a tough road ahead to conclude the regular season, but I am cautiously optimistic that our team will respond to the challenge."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible remains perfect all-time against Penn College, as the Chargers are 14-0 against the Wildcats in program history…Lancaster Bible defeated the Wildcats, 85-63 on Jan. 29 in Lancaster…The Chargers are now 3-7 on the road this season, and 4-7 in all games away from Horst Athletic Center…Lancaster Bible had a season-low five steals, but also only turned the ball over 13 times, tied for the third-fewest of the season…Shewbridge scored 20 or more points for the third straight game, and seventh time overall this season.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible returns to Horst Athletic Center for its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, as the Chargers host Cazenovia at 1 p.m…It will be Senior Day, and the Chargers will honor seniors Luke Beers and William Afoakwah prior to the contest.