The Lancaster Bible College Women's Basketball team rang in 2026 at home on Saturday afternoon as they hosted Cairn in United East play, cruising to a 69-39 victory to start the year off strong. The Chargers improve to 5-10 overall and 3-0 in United East play while the Highlanders fall to 1-9 overall and 0-3 in the United East.
 
How it Happened:
The Highlanders began up 4-0 and kept LBC off the board for the first 2:32 of the game before Shania Stoltzfus (So.) kicked off the scoring with a layup. Down 8-4, the Chargers went on an 11-0 run over a three-minute stretch as several open jump shots powered the Chargers ahead 15-8. The first quarter concluded with a pair of free throws by Emily Wilson (Fr.) and a buzzer-beating three by Cairn for a 16-13 LBC lead after one.
 
Emma Christner (Fr.) started the second quarter with six straight points, then Rachel Nolt (Jr.) added four after that to give LBC their first double-digit lead of the game. Cairn halted the run, but from there the Chargers launched a 12-0 run to take it all the way to the half as Stoltzfus knocked down a three and Nolt and Raven Hunter (Sr.) hit shots as the Chargers went into halftime with a 20-point lead at 38-18, holding Cairn to just five points in the quarter.
 
Nolt started the second half with two more buckets to continue a 16-point run from the first, making it 42-18 LBC. Wilson and Nolt kept the points coming for the Chargers as they kept up the lead, with Nolt hitting a three to get LBC past 50 points as they took a 22-point lead into the final period.
 
The fourth quarter was highlighted by a 12-point Chargers run as Wilson had several jumpers and Isabella Eufemia (Jr.) finished an and-one layup, with Nikki Diehl (Fr.) knocking down a jumper for her first points at home along the way. Annie Hoffman (Jr.) also got her first career points to go in the final minutes as the Chargers sealed a 30-point win at home to open 2026 and improve to 3-0 in conference.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers shot 45-percent from the floor, 23-percent from 3-point range, and 80-percent from the free throw line
- The Highlanders shot 26-percent from the floor, 25-percent from three, and 63-percent on free throws
- Rachel Nolt led the Chargers with 19 points
- Emily Wilson filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists
- Raven Hunter notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds
- The Highlanders were led by Emily Brittin with a team-high 15 points

Information to Know:
The Chargers are now 10-4 against Cairn since 2008 and have 10 straight wins over the Highlanders. The Chargers have their first 3-0 start in United East play since the 2022-23 season and have four straight wins at home, their longest home winning streak since the 2019-20 season. Rachel Nolt surpassed 700 career points in today's game, leading all active players with 716 career points.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers are on the road on Wednesday, January 7 as they travel to Media, Pa. to take on Penn St. Brandywine in United East play at 7:30 p.m.