St. Mary's 54, Lancaster Bible 48    
 
St. Mary's Starters
Manning, Stamper, Howell, Whitaker & Kupchinskas
 
LBC Starters
Alaysha Iwais, Lizzy Tilton, Emma Drouillard, Jade Eshelman & Jenna Dombach
 
How It Happened
The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team fell to St. Mary's College of Maryland by a score of 54-48 on Tuesday, January 11.
 
The Chargers (6-7 Overall, 3-1 United East) went right to work with Jade Eshelman hitting a layup in the paint to grab the early lead. Jenna Dombach swished a 3-pointer in transition to put LBC ahead 5-0. Alaysha Iwais extended the lead to nine hitting back-to-back jump shots. Adalyn Steiner broke the full court press and swished a 3-pointer from the wing to put LBC ahead 12-2. Later in the quarter, Iwais came up with a loose ball finding Tenia Brown all alone in the paint for a layup. The Seahawks (5-6 Overall, 3-1 United East) battled back, scoring five straight points to close back within five points. The Chargers held a 16-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
St. Mary's pulled within one-point before Iwais hit a jump shot. Dombach connected a shot from the corner, putting LBC back ahead by five. Lizzy Tilton fired a pass across the court to Emma Drouillard, who drained a 3-pointer to put the Chargers ahead 23-15. St. Mary's again answered back, going on a 10-0 to take their first lead of the game, 25-23. Sydney Heller ended the run, hitting a jump shot in transition to level the game at 25. After the Seahawks scored four straight points, Iwais found Tilton in transition and Tilton laid the ball in just before the buzzer. The Chargers trailed 29-27 at the half.
 
The Chargers pulled even with the Seahawks earlier in the third quarter when Iwais swished a jump shot from the wing. Midway through the quarter, Iwais found a cutting Dombach for a layup, tying the game at 33. Dombach gave the Chargers their first lead of the second half, connecting on a corner 3-pointer. St. Mary's responded, scoring nine straight points to retake a 42-37 lead. Dombach broke up the run, hitting a jump shot from the top of the key to pull LBC back within three points heading into the final quarter.
 
The Seahawks quickly built a six-point lead before Tilton knocked down a floater in the paint. The Chargers' offense went cold from the field and the team was unable to cut into the deficit trailing by seven points with just over three minutes remaining in the game. The Chargers made on last push in the closing seconds of the game. Iwais knocked down a corner 3-pointer to pull back within five. After a Seahawks' turnover on the inbounds pass, Heller drew a foul and hit two free throws to pull back within three points. The Chargers could not complete the comeback, falling 54-48.  
 
Inside The Numbers
-Alaysha Iwais led Chargers' offense, scoring 11 points, pulling in seven rebounds and dishing three assists
- Jenna Dombach scored nine points on 4-9 shooting from the field
- Jade Eshelman contributed at both ends, scoring six points and gathering seven rebounds
- The Seahawks were led by Karon Williams who scored 19 points
- The Chargers won the battle on the glass, holding a 34-25 advantage in rebounds
 
Coaching Points
"Our team got a good taste of what conference play on the road will be like, but unfortunately did not pack enough toughness on defense or sharpness on offense," said head coach Joy Tharrington. "We had this issue in our previous game but were able to overcome with great shooting. Credit to SMC's pressure throughout the game and tough plays down the stretch. They were the hardest working team on the floor tonight and earned a hard-fought victory."

Who's Next
The women's basketball team will return home to face Penn St. Berks on Saturday, January 15 at 3:00 p.m.
 
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