The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team competed in their last contest of the 2022-year Friday afternoon, falling in overtime 98-108 against Rowan University in the consolation game of the Randolph-Macon Coaches Tournament. Following the loss, the Chargers move to 4-5 for the year and the Profs move to 9-3 overall.
 
How It Happened: The teams traded basket after basket to open the first half, including two layups from senior Adam Stoltzfus and one of seven three-pointers from junior Grant Sareyka. A Rowan layup gave the Profs a five-point advantage just four minutes into the half. The score was tied three more times before a three-point field goal from graduate student Jordan Shewbridge gave the Chargers a three-point lead with 10:30 to go in the half.
 
The Chargers continued to increase their lead to as much as 14 points behind the likes of Sareyka and Stoltzfus, Ethan Beachy and Ty Erisman got in the mix with free throws of their own. Rowan put together a final run before the half to bring the game within nine points, 45-36, headed into halftime.
 
Coming out of halftime, the Profs put their foot on the gas, reclaiming the lead just under four minutes into the second half. Continuing to trade baskets, the Profs held a single digit lead over the Chargers over the span of four minutes until a three-point field goal from Sareyka regained the lead for the Chargers at 67-66. Again, the Profs kept the lead for a length of time before two free throws from newcomer Malachi McDowell and back-to-back baskets from Stoltzfus gave the Chargers a 79-77 lead with just over six minutes left to play.
 
The last six minutes of regulation were a whirlwind as both teams got up and down the floor to make great play after great play. The Chargers got the better of the Profs, featuring a 9-2 run and a seven-point lead with 1:43 left to play. Remarkably, a couple Rowan layups and clutch three-point field goal with just 10 seconds left to go tied the ball game at 95-95 to send the game into overtime.
 
It was all Rowan in overtime, holding the Chargers to only three overtime points and scoring 13 of their own. Overtime free throws put the Rowan lead in a comfortable spot, resulting in a final of 108-98.
 
From the Coach: "Unfortunate result for our team today, but there are a lot of teaching points to takeaway from today and this weekend. We have a good team with potential to be great, but the great teams don't hand out extra possessions to their opponents by turning the ball over and giving up second chance opportunities. We gave them a plethora of opportunities (missed free throws, turnovers, offensive rebounds turning into second chance points) to tie or win the game in the last 1:30 in regulation. You just can't do that and expect a positive result. 

Overall this weekend of competition revealed some positives about our direction as team. We just need to fall in love with striving for excellence daily. It's a hard process to commit to daily, but it's the price for greatness. We will see if we can take that step as we finish out our non-conference schedule and begin our conference season." - Head Coach Jon Mack

 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 46 percent (33-71) from the field including 36% (12-33) from the three-point arc… Rowan shot 46 percent (39-85) from the field and 29% (9-31) from the three-point line… Rowan held the advantage in the rebound battle 49-45 and secured 21 offensive boards… Rowan scored 48 points in the paint and 33 points off turnovers… the Chargers scored 28 points in the paint and 21 points off turnovers… Sareyka led the way for the Chargers with 28 points going 7-12 from the three-point line… Stoltzfus added 25 points and grabbed six offensive rebounds and was named to the All-Tournament Team for both of his performances this week… Ja'Zere Noel led all teams with 29 points and Andrew Seager added 25 points.
 
Information to Know: Lancaster Bible is now 0-3 all-time against Rowan… This was the first matchup between the two teams since the 2010-11 season where the Chargers fell 70-79… Sareyka's seven three-point field goals is tied for the second most in program history and first since 2020. Sareyka's 28 points were a career-high, and Adam Stoltzfus also set a career-high with 25 points.
 
Up Next: The Chargers will play their final non-conference game of the 2022-23 season Wednesday, January 4 as they travel a few minutes west to play Elizabethtown College at 6:00 p.m.