Box Score
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – In many ways, the Lycoming College women’s basketball team’s 71-59 win over Wilkes University on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, seemed like déjà vu of its game against Marywood two days earlier. For the second straight game, the Warriors shot better than 50 percent in the first half to build a 20-point lead against a Lackawanna County team.
Unlike Thursday, though, the Warriors (7-5 overall) never let Wilkes within 10 points in the second half, as they shot a season-high 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field and put four players in double figures for the third time this year en route to a season-high 71 points.
The Warriors started out the game hot, shooting over 50 percent in the half for the second game in a row, hitting 11-of-19 (.579) while building a 39-23 lead. The Warriors notched 13 steals while forcing 23 turnovers and they added 16-of-22 from the free throw line.
The Warriors jumped out on a 15-3 run in the first five minutes of the half, with senior
Erin Connaghan (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) capping the run with a layup. Wilkes (4-8 overall) could only manage to get the lead to eight points before Lycoming went on a 15-2 run that ended when junior
Rachael Scheller (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) hit a fastbreak layup off a steal with 5:01 left to give Lycoming a 31-10 lead. Wilkes cut the lead down to 16 at the half at 39-23.
The Warriors kept the lead between 15 and 20 points for the first 18 minutes of the second half before a free throw from Scheller gave them a 71-50 lead with 2:28 left. The Colonels ended the game on a 9-0 run, though, hitting two 3-pointers in the final 63 seconds to make up the final margin.
Connaghan tied her career high with 15 points to go with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead the Warriors. Sophomore
Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford), Scheller and freshman
Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) each added 11 points. Scheller added seven assists, five rebounds and four steals, Antonelli posted six rebounds, three assists and two steals and besides Ziminski’s career-high in points, she also added three steals.
Megan Kazmerski posted 13 points, six rebounds and three 3-pointers and Whitney Connolly added 13 points to lead the Colonels, while Amanda Pawlowski notched nine points and eight assists.
The Warriors will get back into their Commonwealth Conference schedule, starting with a 6 p.m. game against No. 17 Lebanon Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Lamade Gym.
