The Lancaster Bible College Women's Basketball team traveled south to compete in the Susan Dunagan Holiday Classic in Roanoke, Va. on Friday night. The game went to double-overtime as the Chargers lost 76-79 to Hollins University. The Chargers drop to 2-9 overall and 0-2 in the United East, while Hollins improves to 4-6 overall and 0-6 in the ODAC.
 
How it Happened: Natalie Wenger hit a free throw to get the scoring started, and after a Hollins 3-pointer, Raven Hunter drove to the basket for a layup to tie the game 3-3. Shortly after, Rachel Nolt made a layup off an offensive rebound, then senior Alaysha Iwais drained her first 3-pointer of the game to give LBC an early 8-6 lead. Hollins swung in front on a pair of jumpers, then back-to-back fast-break layups from the Chargers put them back on top 12-10. Senior Shelby Gard hit a jumper and Hunter drove for another layup as LBC closed the first quarter with a three point advantage.
 
The Chargers came into the second period strong as Hunter and Jenna Dombach both made layups to extend the lead to seven, but Hollins rattled off five to cut the deficit to two at 20-18. Hunter made a contested layup to put LBC up four, but Hollins went on a seven-point run over the next three minutes to take a 25-22 lead. Hunter halted the momentum with another good layup, then Dombach hit a three off an assist from Iwais to tie the game at 27 all. After a Hollins 3-pointer, Dombach hit another three to even it at 30-30. Dombach found freshman Isabella Eufemia as the clock expired for a score to send the game into halftime tied 32-32.
 
Dombach and Nolt hit shots early in the third quarter to put LBC up five, but Hollins answered to make it 41-40 Chargers with four minutes left in the third. Hunter then made back-to-back layups to extend the lead, but a three and a layup from Hollins tied the game at 45. Hollins took a 48-45 lead into the final period.
 
Gard found Iwais for a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two, then Nolt hit back-to-back threes to keep it a one-score game. The teams traded buckets down the stretch with Hollins staying in front, but Hunter and Iwais hit shots to cut the deficit to just one. Hollins led 63-62, but a string of fouls to stop the clock led to Hunter going to the free throw line, where she made one of two to send the game to overtime tied at 63.
 
The Chargers missed a few free throws to open the extra period, but Dombach hit a huge 3-pointer to give LBC a two-point lead. Nolt later hit a layup to make it 69-68, but a free throw make from Hollins and a pair of empty possessions sent the game to another OT period tied at 69. In the second overtime, Wenger drove to the basket to tie it at 71, then Eufemia drew a foul off a steal and made a pair of FTs to give the Chargers a two-point lead. Iwais later made a layup to keep LBC up one, but blocks from Hollins and fouls from Lancaster Bible put Hollins up 79-76, and the Chargers would fall by that score after 50 hard-fought minutes.
 
By the Numbers:
- Hollins and the Chargers shot almost identical from the field at 29-82 and 29-83 respectively
- The game featured 13 tie scores and 17 lead changes and Hollins edged out LBC in the paint 38-36
- Raven Hunter led the charge with a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds
- Rachel Nolt set career-highs with 16 points and 17 rebounds, notching a double-double
- Jenna Dombach and Alaysha Iwais both reached 10+ points with 16 and 12 respectively
- Hollins was led by Sarah Morales who recorded 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists
 
From the Coach: "Anytime you have a game go into double OT it's going to be a battle. Super proud of how we competed on the glass against a bigger stronger team and showed a lot of grit and composure down the stretch. Had a really good look to tie it at the buzzer but just couldn't get it to drop." - Head Coach Ryan Carpenter
 
Information to Know: This was the first-ever contest between Lancaster Bible and Hollins for women's basketball and the Chargers' first overtime contest since November 11, 2021. The Chargers had two 10-point scorers in the first half (Hunter + Dombach) for just the second time this season and had four players with 10+ for the third time in 2023. Raven Hunter reached the 20-point mark for the third time in 2023, tied for the team lead with Dombach. Freshman Rachel Nolt grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, putting her over the 100-rebound mark for the season with 113 total rebounds. Senior Jenna Dombach is now tied for 12^th all-time in assists as she dished three tonight, sitting at 176 career assists.
 
Up Next: The Chargers have a quick turnaround as they wrap up their Virginia trip with a game against host Roanoke on Saturday, December 30 at 7:00 p.m.