The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team had its 2019-20 campaign come to an end on Saturday in the North Eastern Athletic Conference Semifinals, as Morrisville State erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and stunned the Chargers, 61-57 in Utica, N.Y. The loss ends the year for the Chargers at 12-14 overall, while Morrisville State, 18-8 overall, advances to face top-seeded SUNY Poly on Sunday in the NEAC Final.
 
How it Happened: Lancaster Bible led 7-0 after just 2:11 of play, as Alaysha Iwais, Jordyn Beers, and Mikayla Via had baskets for the Chargers. Lancaster Bible eventually led 9-2, but Morrisville State used a 9-2 run of its own over a three-minute span to tie the game at 11-11 with 2:41 to play in the opening frame. A late 3-pointer from Hope Hodges gave Lancaster Bible a 17-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.
 
Morrisville State took a 3-point lead early in the second quarter, but Tilton drained a 3-pointer with 6:22 to play in the first half to knot the score at 20-20. Beers had two straight buckets around a 3-pointer from the Mustangs later in the quarter, and Tilton gave the Chargers a 26-23 lead with 3:09 remaining. After the Mustangs pulled to within one at 26-25, Lancaster Bible scored the final eight points of the half, and led 34-25 at the break. Via and Hodges had 3-pointers around a bucket from Christine Graves to help the Chargers close the first half on an 8-0 run.
 
Senior Caitlin Hickey scored five straight points early in the third quarter to give Lancaster Bible a 41-30 advantage, and it grew to 14 after three straight free throws from Tilton. With 2:14 remaining, Hickey converted a layup on a fast break to give Lancaster Bible a 53-35 advantage, but those would be the final points of the quarter for the Chargers, and they led, 53-40 after 30 minutes.
 
Morrisville State's offense woke up in the fourth quarter, as the Mustangs scored the first 10 points of the frame, and trailed just 53-50 with four minutes remaining. Hickey finally stopped the bleeding for the Lancaster Bible offense and her layup gave the Chargers a 55-50 lead with 3:47 to play. Via scored with exactly two minutes to play to increase Lancaster Bible's lead to 57-52, but it would be the last time Lancaster Bible posted points, and Morrisville State scored the game's final nine points to post the victory.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 39 percent (23-of-59) from the floor, but just 8-of-23 from beyond the arc…Lancaster Bible was just 3-of-5 from the free throw line…Morrisville State shot 28.6 percent (20-of-70) from the field, and 8-of-35 from 3-point range…Morrisville State was 13-of-14 from the free throw line…Tilton finished with a game-high 22 points, and also added nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks…Hickey had nine points and five boards, while Via had seven points, six assists, and five boards…Beers finished with six points and six rebounds, while Iwais had three points, six rebounds, and four assists…Alexis Campbell had 14 points to lead Morrisville State.
 
The Coach Says: "This is a tough way to end the season, as we played well for three quarters, but struggled in the fourth," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "We couldn't buy a basket, and Morrisville gained momentum, and we couldn't stop it. We had some chances late, but couldn't finish."
 
On the team's season: "I'm super proud of this team," Vanderhoff said. "They battled this season and kept fighting, every when everyone else counted us out."
 
On the team's seniors: "We will miss Caitlin and Becca," Vanderhoff said. "Both have added so much to our program on and off the floor. Hickey has been a constant leader and will leave a lasting impact on our players and program."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 7-5 all-time against Morrisville State…The Chargers are now 7-7 all-time in the NEAC Playoffs…The Mustangs have ended Lancaster Bible's NEAC postseason in three of the past six years (2015, 2017, 2020)…The Chargers were 5-10 in games away from Horst Athletic Center this season…Hickey's illustrious career comes to a close with 106 games played, and 1,849 career points…She is second all-time in point scored in program history, and third all-time for either the men's or women's program.