The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team dropped its first game of the season on Tuesday, as the Chargers lost to York (Pa.), 63-45 in York, Pa. The Chargers are now 2-1 this season, while the Spartans improved to 2-3. 

How it Happened: After trailing in the opening 2:30 of the contest, Lancaster Bible senior Adalyn Steiner knotted the score at 4-4 with a 3-pointer. York (Pa.) used a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 14-6 lead with under four minutes to play in the opening quarter. Lancaster Bible junior Shelby Gard brought the Chargers back in the final minutes of the quarter however, as she scored five straight points for the Chargers and cut the deficit to five as the Spartans drained a bucket between Gard's two scores. Fellow junior Jenna Dombach brought the Chargers to within three, 16-13, in the final minute, and Lancaster Bible trailed by just three after the opening 10 minutes.

Senior Mikayla Via gave the Chargers their first lead of the contest 2:40 into the second quarter, as she drained a 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes and Lancaster Bible sophomore Sydney Heller restored the Chargers' lead, 30-29, on a 3-pointer with under 2:30 to play in the half. Carey Smith knocked down a jumper before the end of the half to give the host Spartans a 30-29 advantage at the break.

York (Pa.) scored the first eight points of the second half to take a 38-29 lead in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Freshmen Irene Were and Amber Millen had baskets for the Chargers in the middle of the quarter, but York (Pa.) continued to build its lead, and led 51-37 after 30 minutes. 

Lancaster Bible's cold second-half shooting continued into the fourth quarter, as sophomore Jade Eshelman scored the team's first basket of the quarter 5:15 into the frame. The Spartans increased their lead to over 20 late in the fourth quarter, and the Chargers ultimately lost by 18. 

By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the floor, but just 7-of-31 in the second half...The Chargers were 5-of-21 from 3-point range, and just 6-of-16 from the free throw line…York (Pa.) shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the field, but just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc...Eshelman finished with a team-high 11 points and added nine rebounds...Four other Lancaster Bible players had five points, including Alaysha Iwais who had five points, six assists, and five boards...Bradi Zumbrum had a game-high 22 points to lead the Spartans.

The Coach Says: "We knew coming into this game that we needed to dominate certain details in order to be competitive on the road against a good York (Pa.) team," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Joy Tharrington said. "While we did those things well in the first half, our inability to hit shots in the second half began to effect our effort in dominating details. We have established who we want to be as a team, but have to find another level of intensity and intentionality when we are on the road against a tough opponent. I look forward to using this loss as a growth opportunity for our team."

Information to Know: Lancaster Bible is now 0-10 all-time against York (Pa.)…The Spartans defeated the Chargers, 62-45 last season in Lancaster…The Chargers are now 1-1 on the road this season, and were 6-6 away from home last season...Eshelman has double-digit points in each of Lancaster Bible's first three games...Lancaster Bible's 34 rebounds were a season-low.

Up Next: Lancaster Bible returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in Aston, Pa., as the Chargers battle Neumann at 7 p.m.