The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team won its third straight game on Tuesday night, as the Chargers defeated Centenary (N.J.), 57-46 in Hackettstown, N.J. Lancaster Bible is now 5-1 overall this season, while the Cyclones fell to 5-4 overall.

How it Happened: The teams traded baskets through the first five minutes of the contest, as Lancaster Bible junior Jenna Dombach had the first seven points for the Chargers. Both teams went cold from the field during the second part of the opening quarter, but two free throws from junior Alaysha Iwais and a 3-pointer from freshman Irene Were gave the Chargers a 14-9 lead with under 30 seconds to play. The Cyclones answered with a three-point play from Carmen Escano to trim the Chargers' lead to 14-12 after 10 minutes of play.

Another low-scoring quarter followed in the second, as the teams battled back-and-forth on the glass. Late free throws from Escano knotted the game at 24-24 just before the half.

Lancaster Bible dominated the third quarter, as the Chargers gave up just three points in the final 4:50 of the quarter and used a 13-5 run over that span to grab a 45-34 after three quarters. Sophomore Jade Eshelman had 11 points in the third quarter for the Chargers, while Iwais added seven points. 

Eshelman had the first four points for Lancaster Bible in the fourth quarter, and the Chargers clamped down defensively over the final five minutes of the game, allowing just four points to earn the 57-46 victory.

By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 34.6 percent (18-of-52) from the floor, including 20 percent (3-of-15) from 3-point range, but was 18-of-22 from the free throw line…Centenary shot 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the field, but were 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 12-of-21 from the free throw line...Eshelman finished with 26 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Chargers, as she was 7-of-11 from the floor and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line...Iwais added 13 points, while Dombach finished with eight points...Escano finished with 23 points and 16 boards for the Cyclones.

The Coach Says: "I challenged our team after our last away game that if we want to be a good team, we need to win games on the road," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Joy Tharrington said. "Each game presents a different challenge and we are learning to answer the call for each contest. Tonight called for a lot of toughness and poise, which I think our team embraced. We executed key defensive adjustments at the half and focused on getting the ball to Jade. I believe our defensive effort on the boards, and Jade's tremendous contribution scoring and rebounding was the difference. This is a huge road win for us as we learn to embrace doing hard things well."

Information to Know: Lancaster Bible is now 2-2 all-time against Centenary…The Cyclones defeated the Chargers, 69-61 in overtime last season in Lancaster, Pa.…Eshelman's 24 rebounds are tied for the ninth-most in a game in program history, and a new career-high...Her 26 points also tie a career-high, matching her output from November 16 against Bryn Athyn...Eshelman's 20-point, 20-rebound game is the first since February 16, 2019 when Courtney Goyak had 22 points and 26 boards for the Chargers in her final collegiate contest....Lancaster Bible's 5-1 start is the best mark through six games since the 2012-13 squad that also started 5-1 en route to a 24-5 record and the program's only appearence in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Up Next: Lancaster Bible will play its final home game of the first semester this Friday evening at 6 p.m., as the Chargers host Rosemont at Horst Athletic Center.