The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team cruised to their first United East Conference win of the 2022-23 season Saturday evening over the Penn College Wildcats, 88–66. The Chargers improve to 3-2 overall on the year and 1-0 in United East play while the Wildcats sit at 4-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
 
How It Happened: Senior Adam Stoltzfus began the game with a thundering two-hand dunk in the lane for the Chargers as they would proceed to score 16 unanswered points. The Wildcats' efforts would get within seven (21-14) at the eight-minute mark, but three-point field goals from junior Grant Sareyka, freshman Nile Austin, and freshman Luke Rumbaugh would keep the Chargers' lead in double digits. A good jumper from Seth Beers with just five seconds in left in the half pushed the lead to nine and for a halftime score of 38-29.
 
Behind a sense of complacency in the Chargers' offense and a refreshed Wildcats team, the lead dwindled over the beginning of the second half and a Wildcat layup at 12:58 tied the game at 47-47 for the first time. In just a little over seven minutes, the Charger lead grew to a convincing 27 points and would remain that way thanks to an aggressive Charger defense and beautiful ball-movement on the offensive end. A strong defensive presence and a quick transition game helped the Chargers earn their first United East win of the season, 88-66.
 
From the Coach: "I thought our ability to control the paint and dominate the glass on both ends was difference in the game.  We did a good job holding them to 37% from the field which is a direct influence from our two bigs, Stoltzfus and Zentner.
 
I was proud of our team's response after they tied up the game in the second half. We got back to our defensive identity of getting stops and converting in transition.
 
We definitely have some areas to improve on both ends of the floor, but I am encouraged by our team's effort and focus this week. We look forward to preparing for another tough week before closing out the semester." – Head Coach Jon Mack
 
By the Numbers: The Chargers shot 45.9% (34-74) from the field and 34.6% (9-26) from the three-point arc… the Chargers tallied a season-high 20 assists and nine steals while scoring 48 points in the paint and 27 points off turnovers… the Chargers had five different players in double-figures today led by junior Grant Sareyka who finished with 23 points and six assists… the twin towers of Andrew Zentner and Adam Stoltzfus added 19 points and eight rebounds and 11 points and 16 rebounds respectively… junior Seth Beers had 13 points and six assists and freshman Luke Rumbaugh also had 11 points on the day.
 
Information to Know: Saturday evening's victory gives the Chargers their 18^th win in a row against Penn College dating all the way back to 2005… this was the Chargers' only United East Conference matchup of the first semester… the next conference matchup isn't until January 7^th when the Chargers host Penn St. Berks.
 
Up Next: The Chargers continue their homestand with a non-conference contest against Albright College on Tuesday, December 6^th at 7:00 p.m.