The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team had to wait a little longer than it would have liked for its first win, but the Chargers cracked the win column for the first time in 2021 on Saturday with a convincing, 59-38 victory over longtime rival Cairn at Horst Athletic Center. The Chargers improved to 1-3 overall this season, while the Highlanders dropped to 1-2.
 
How it Happened: The teams exchanged 3-pointers in the early going of the first quarter, as Adalyn Steiner and Jenna Dombach knocked down triples for the Chargers. Both teams struggled from the field for the next three minutes, but layups from Dombach and Paige Towne gave the Chargers a 10-3 lead with 4:31 to play in the opening quarter.
 
Allison Barnes hit her second 3-pointer of the quarter for Cairn with 4:22 to play to make it a 10-6 contest, but the Chargers held the Highlanders scoreless for the rest of the quarter, and led 15-6 after 10 minutes of play. Lancaster Bible continued to increase its lead in the second frame, as the Chargers scored the first eight points of the quarter, and led 23-6 with less than three minutes to play.
 
After Cairn broke its scoreless streak, Steiner drained another 3-pointer, and Lizzy Tilton converted a layup 30 seconds later to give the Chargers a 28-8 lead. Tilton knocked down a 3-pointer with three seconds to play in the half as well, and Lancaster Bible led 31-10 at the break.
 
The Chargers opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run, as Tilton, Tenia Brown, and Paige Towne had baskets for Lancaster Bible. The teams exchanged buckets the rest of the quarter, and a late layup from Steiner gave the Chargers a 50-25 advantage after 30 minutes of play.
 
Lancaster Bible continued to control the game in the final quarter of play, though two late 3-pointer from Melissa Good helped the Highlanders outscore the Chargers, 13-9 in the final frame.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 35.5 percent (22-of-62) from the floor, including 25 percent (7-of-28) from 3-point range…Cairn shot 26 percent (13-of-5) from the field, including 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from beyond the arc…Lancaster Bible outrebounded the Highlanders, 44-31, and held a 14-7 edge on the offensive glass…Tilton finished with 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds to pace the Chargers…Steiner had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Jenna Dombach was the third and final player in double figures with 11 points, and also added seven rebounds and five assists…Brown chipped in with seven points and seven rebounds, and fellow forward Paige Towne had four points and 10 rebounds…Hope Hodges played well on both ends of the floor and finished with three points and five rebounds, while Faith Hammond had three points and two boards in her first game of the season…Good had 17 points to lead Cairn.
 
The Coach Says: "We talked about playing with a purpose, and needed to have a certain level of intensity and mental sharpness," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Joy Tharrington said. "I thought we had some lapses defensively, but we had good attention to detail for much of the night, and our effort was solid throughout. I am most proud of our job on the boards, and it was a total team effort. The team has trusted our process, and have a sense of gratitude that we get to play. We are playing to our standards, and that is ultimately what will improve our program."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 20-61 all-time against Cairn, but has won the last four meetings…This was the first game between the teams since January 26, 2012 when the Chargers defeated the Highlanders, 62-55 in Lancaster…The victory was the first collegiate win for Lancaster Bible Head Coach Joy Tharrington…Lancaster Bible has held its last two opponents under 50 points…The Chargers' seven made 3-pointers were a season-high, as were the 14 offensive rebounds…Lancaster Bible's 13 turnovers were a season-low.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible hosts St. Mary's (Md.) on Tuesday at 5 p.m…The Seahawks defeated the Chargers, 48-47 on Feb. 6…The game can be seen on the Chargers Sports Network.