The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team won its sixth straight game on Saturday night, defeating Gallaudet, 63-56 at Horst Athletic Center. The Chargers trailed by one at halftime, but earned their second tough win of the week to improve to 9-11 overall and 7-4 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play. The loss dropped the Bison to 7-12 overall and 5-6 in conference action.
 
How it Happened: Gallaudet led 10-6 midway through the opening quarter, but Lancaster Bible used a 12-2 run over a 4:45 span to build an 18-12 lead with under a minute to play. Adalyn Steiner had five points during the scoring run, while Caitlin Hickey, Jordyn Beers, and Lizzy Tilton also added points.
 
After leading by four after the first quarter, Lancaster Bible traded baskets with Gallaudet to open the second frame, as Hickey's jumper with 7:38 to play gave the Chargers a 24-20 edge. The Bison would use a 6-0 run to take a quick lead, but Steiner drained a 3-pointer with 3:16 remaining to restore Lancaster Bible's lead, 27-26. Gallaudet regained the lead, and led by four with under 10 seconds to play in the half, but Tilton was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with one second to play, and hit all three free throws to trim Gallaudet's lead to 32-31 at halftime.
 
The Bison came out of the gate quick in the second half, and led 46-37 with 4:12 to play in the third quarter after a jumper from Rajena Guettler. That would be the final bucket of the quarter for Gallaudet however, as the Chargers mounted a 9-0 run the rest of the frame, and Hickey's 3-pointer with 1:14 to play tied the game at 46-46, which is how the teams entered the fourth quarter as well.
 
After each team scored in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Tilton scored the next five points of the game to give the Chargers a 53-48 lead with 8:10 left. Both teams went cold from the floor from there however, and Lancaster Bible led just 53-52 with under four minutes to play. After a Hickey free throw, Gallaudet tied the game at 54-54 with 2:12 to play, but Hickey converted a layup and the adjoining free throw with 1:46 to give the home team a 57-54 advantage.
 
Gallaudet couldn't convert on their next possession, and Hickey hit two more free throws to extend the lead to five. The Bison cut the Chargers' lead to three with 55 seconds to play, but Beers knocked down a big jumper with 27 seconds left to restore the five-point edge, and the Chargers never looked back.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 42.9 percent (21-of-49) from the field, but just 4-of-16 from 3-point range…The Chargers were 17-of-19 from the free throw line…Gallaudet shot 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the floor, but like the Chargers, struggled from 3-point range, and were just 2-of-12 from beyond the arc…The Bison led, 20-14 in points in the paint, but Lancaster Bible's bench outscored Gallaudet's, 14-2…Hickey finished with a game-high 25 points for the second straight game, and she also added six rebounds and three assists…Tilton added 14 points, six boards, and four assists in 40 minutes, while Steiner also had 14 points…Beers finished with seven points and three steals…Guettler led the Bison with 13 points, while Cassidy Perry had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Coach Says: "Caitlin is playing tremendous right now, and her leadership has been outstanding," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "She had some really big rebounds for us tonight, and is constantly encouraging the team with her play and her words during timeouts."
 
On getting solid play from everyone: "Everyone has been stepping up, and depending on the night, it seems like someone else says to themselves that it is their turn," Vanderhoff said. "Wednesday it was Jordyn Beers, and tonight it was Adalyn Steiner. She scored big buckets for us in the first half, and then there is always Lizzy [Tilton], who is steady and solid for us on both ends of the floor."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 16-2 all-time against Gallaudet…The Chargers defeated the Bison, 78-72 on Jan. 22 in Washington, D.C…The six-game winning streak is the longest for the Chargers since they won six in a row from Jan. 9, 2018 to Jan. 27, 2018…Lancaster Bible continued to play well in the first half of games on Saturday, outscoring the Bison, 18-14, and the Chargers have outscored their opponents, 326-280 in the opening quarters of games this season…Lancaster Bible is 6-4 at Horst Athletic Center this season, and has won four straight at home.
 
Up Next: The Chargers are at Penn College on Wednesday night at 5 p.m.