WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – After scoring just 12 points in the first half, the Lycoming College women’s basketball team exploded with a 48-point second half en route to a 60-52 win against FDU-Florham in the championship game of the Hoops for Hounds Holiday Classic at Lamade Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Both teams struggled out of the gate, as the Devils managed only 20 first-half points to lead 20-12 at the intermission.
The Lady Warriors opened the second half on a 16-8 run to tie the game at 28-28 with 11:07 to play. The lead exchanged hands over the next five minutes, setting up a 36-36 tie with 6:29 left on the clock.
Over the final 6:29, Lycoming outscored Florham 24-16 to seal the eight point win.
The Lady Warriors were led by a career-high performance of 17 points from Kaitlyn Ober (Lititz, Pa.), who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 16.5 points in the tournament.
Rebecca Leid (Denver, Pa.) added 15 points and seven rebounds and Jessica Zerbee (Duncansville, Pa.) contributed a game-high seven assists in the win.
Danielle Michlovsky led the Devils with 16 points, while Shealyn Taggart added a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds.
Lycoming finished the game shooting 35.6 percent, including a 48.4 percent effort in the second half. FDU-Florham finished at 37.5 percent from the field and held a 44-35 rebounding advantage.
Ober was joined by Allison Mock (State College, Pa.) as Lycoming’s representatives on the All-Tournament team. The All-Tournament team also included Courtney Young (FDU-Florham), Kelly VanValkenburgh (Albany Pharmacy) and Parker Griffin (John Jay).
The Lady Warriors improve to 8-1, continuing the team’s best start since the 1996-97 season. Florham drops to 7-4.
Saturday's game marked the second-straight game that Lycoming scored nearly 50 points in the second half, as the Lady Warriors scored 49 in the opening round win against John Jay on Friday evening. Saturday's win also marked the second-straight Holiday Classic title for the team.
Lycoming is back in action on Jan. 7, when Elizabethtown travels to Williamsport to open the Commonwealth Conference schedule. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. with the men’s game to follow at 8 p.m.
