The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team advanced to the North Eastern Athletic Conference Semifinals for the seventh straight season on Tuesday night, as the Chargers defeated Penn College, 77-73 in the NEAC Quarterfinals at Horst Athletic Center. The win propels the Chargers to 13-13 this season, while the Wildcats end the 2019-20 campaign at 7-19.
 
Lancaster Bible advances to the NEAC Final Four, and will battle SUNY Poly on Friday night at 6 p.m. in Middletown, Pa., as Penn St. Harrisburg serves as the NEAC Final Four host. The Nittany Lions will take on Morrisville State who defeated Cazenovia, 100-88 in the other NEAC Quarterfinal.
 
How it Happened: The teams exchanged baskets to open the contest, as the Chargers got an early dunk from William Afoakwah off a great pass from Luke Beers. Penn College used a 5-0 run later in the half to build an 11-6 lead, but Lancaster Bible responded with a 6-0 run of its own, and took a 12-11 lead on a layup from Beers.
 
The teams traded baskets midway through the half, but Lancaster Bible took a 22-18 lead on a 3-pointer from Ethan Beachy with 9:53 to play. The Chargers eventually led by five, but Penn College tied the game at 27-27 with 4:03 remaining after two free throws from Damon Kreider. Lancaster Bible answered with a 3-pointer from Kaleb Murry less than a minute later, and then exploded in the final 2:33, as the Chargers outscored the Wildcats, 10-0.
 
Murry made four free throws during the run, and Brett Bechler capped the scoring streak with a 3-pointer as time expired to give the Charges a 41-29 halftime lead.
 
Lancaster Bible expanded its lead to 15, 55-40, five minutes into the second half on a free throw from Beers, but Penn College used an 11-0 run to trim its deficit to four with 11:38 remaining. The teams exchanged baskets again, as Beers and Murry connected for back-to-back 3-pointers.
 
Jordan Shewbridge had a big layup for the Chargers with 4:33 remaining to give Lancaster Bible a 67-59 lead, but Elijah Vazquez scored five straight points, and the Wildcats trailed just 67-64 with 3:56 to play. After a Lancaster Bible basket from Afoakwah, Ben Sosa trimmed the Chargers' lead to three again, but Lancaster Bible got a big bucket from Beers, who then stole the ball, and Shewbridge had another layup to give the home team a 73-66 advantage.
 
Penn College wouldn't quit, and cut Lancaster Bible's lead to 75-71 with 13 seconds to play, but Britton Beachy hit late free throws, and iced the game for the Chargers.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 41.8 percent (28-of-67) from the field, including 8-of-25 from 3-point range…The Chargers were also 13-of-19 from the free throw line…Penn College shot 46 percent (29-of-63) from the floor, and 6-of-25 from beyond the arc…The Wildcats were 9-fo-13 from the free throw line…The Chargers led, 25-12 in bench points, but were outscored, 34-30 in the paint…Shewbridge led four players in double figures with 16 points, while Murry had 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range…Afoakwah finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists…Beers was the final player in double digits with 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists…Britton Beachy added eight points, six boards, and four assists, while Adam Stoltzfus had four points and five rebounds…Ben Sosa finished with a game-high 27 points for Penn College, while Elijah Vazquez had 23 points.
 
The Coach Says: "I loved our effort and energy tonight," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Jon Mack said. "Those things were a concern of mine coming into the game after a lackluster performance last week, but I thought we defended well the latter part of the first half to provide separation at halftime, despite out turnover woes."
 
On the team's second half play: "We did a better job valuing the ball, but struggled to get consistent stops and defensive rebounds at times, which allowed them to remain on our heels," Mack said. "I am proud that we were able to overcome their run and find a way to overcome the moment together."
 
On Friday's game and preparing for it: "We will need to defend and execute better as we progress to the next challenge," Mack said. "At this stage, it's more mental than physical and we need to full commit to our identity for 40 minutes. We are excited about the opportunity to advance, and compete against a very quality opponent."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible improves to 15-0 all-time against Penn College…The Chargers defeated Penn College, 85-63 in late January, and then took down the Wildcats, 71-52 in mid-February…Lancaster Bible finishes the season with a 9-3 record at Horst Athletic Center…Lancaster Bible's 18 offensive rebounds tied a season-high, and Tuesday marked the sixth straight contest the Chargers had double-digit offensive rebounds…Afoakwah's double-double was his sixth of the season…The Chargers are now 3-0 all-time in NEAC Quarterfinal contests.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible takes on SUNY Poly in the NEAC Semifinals on Friday night at 6 p.m…The game will take place on the campus of Penn St. Harrisburg…Lancaster Bible and SUNY Poly met in last season's NEAC Semifinals as well, with the Wildcats earning a 67-64 victory.