#2 Lancaster Bible 81, #7 Asbury 75- NCCAA Championship Quarterfinals

Asbury Starters
Fort, Powell, Walden, Shoulders & Winter

LBC Starters
Seth Beers, Grant Sareyka, Ethan Beachy, Jordan Shewbridge & Adam Stoltzfus

How it Happened
The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team rallied in the second half to defeat #7 Asbury by a score of 81-75 on Wednesday, March 16. With the win, LBC advances to the NCCAA Championship Semifinals.

The Chargers (22-7 Overall) got on the board first, taking a lead when Jordan Shewbridge drained his first 3-pointer of the game. Moments later, Shewbridge extended LBC's lead to four, drilling another 3-pointer. Asbury (14-12 Overall) answered back, going on an 11-2 run and taking their first lead of the game. The Eagles grew their advantage to as large as 15 points midway through the half. Trailing 41-24, Maureon Tisdale-Couch scored an easy layup off a pass from Andrew Zentner, sparking a rally. After a pair of free throws by Zentner, Seth Beers came away with a steal and score to pull LBC back within 10 points. The Chargers could pull no closer, trailing 44-34 going into the second half.

Grant Sareyka started the second half strong, knocking down a jump shot. Ethan Beachy and Beers combined to pull LBC back within five points. Sareyka then completed a three-point play, cutting the deficit down to two. Shewbridge knifed to the basket, finishing a layup to tie the game at 48. Zentner swatted a shot, hustling back in transition for the easy layup to put LBC ahead 50-48. The teams began trading the lead back-and-forth, with Adam Stoltzfus finishing a layup off a pass from Beers, putting the Chargers ahead by two with 7:01 remaining in the game. The Chargers held the lead late into the second half, eventually growing their advantage to six. Beers and Sareyka hit several clutch free throws to give LBC a 81-75 victory.

Inside the Numbers
- The Chargers were led by Jordan Shewbridge who scored 18 points, connecting three times from beyond the arc
- Grant Sareyka posted 18 points, going 7-7 at the free throw line
- Seth Beers shot 67% from the floor, scoring 17 points
- Adam Stoltzfus battled through foul trouble, scoring eight points
- The Eagles were led by Eric Powell who scored 28 points
- The Chargers capitalized on turnovers, scoring 22 points off of them

Coaching Points
"We started off very slow on both ends," said head coach Jon Mack. "We struggled getting stops and rebounding the ball.  On the offensive end, we settled for jumpers and taking quick shots. Coming into the game we knew Asbury was an explosive offensive team, but it was frustrating that our defense was asleep in the first half.  In the second half, I thought our pressure and up tempo pace wore on them and got us going.  Our defense was stingy in the second half forcing them to shot 34% from the field. We also did a better job on the boards against a much bigger and more physical team. We are excited to advance and prepare for a tough Carolina University team."

Who's Next
The Chargers have advanced to the NCCAA Semifinals where they will face #3 Carolina University on Thursday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m.

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