Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – In a hard-fought game that had six ties and 11 lead changes, it’s no surprise that Tuesday night’s game between the Lycoming College women’s basketball team and Misericordia University came down to the final seconds. After five lead changes in the final two minutes, a jumper by Misericordia’s Caitlin Kessler marked the difference, as the Cougars held off the upset-minded Warriors, 59-58, in Lamade Gym.
 
The Warriors (0-3 overall) took two shots in the final seconds, but each fell off the mark, and the defending Freedom Conference champion Cougars (3-0 overall) walked away with their first win against the Warriors in Williamsport since 2004.
 
A jumper by Hannah Seely gave the Cougars a 54-53 lead with 1:51 left, but freshman Shanley Harlacker (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion Area) responded with two free throws to give Lycoming the lead with 1:37 left. The Cougars answered with a 3-pointer from Tyann McDaniel with 1:22 left.
 
After a crazy minute, the Cougars looked to need to win the game on the free-throw line after a Warriors’ turnover with 29 seconds left, but sophomore Kat Andriani (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) stole the ball back in the corner and drove the length of the floor for a layup, getting fouled in the process with 21 seconds left. She converted the 3-point play, giving Lycoming a 58-57 lead.
 
After a Misericordia timeout,Kessler got a shot off over an outstretched defender that just rattled in with less than 10 seconds left.
 
The Warriors led for much of the early portion of the game, taking a 12-5 lead after a pair of free throws from freshman Taylor Ford (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest), but the Warriors responded with 10 straight points and led by as many as four points before Lycoming fought back to take the lead with 5:30 left in the half after a layup by junior Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford). Late in the half, Lycoming score the final seven points of the half, with Ford capping the half with a 3-pointer with eight seconds left, helping it take a 33-26 lead into the break.
 
Misericordia started the second half with a 9-1 run, but freshman Shannon Wheeler (Cranford, N.J./Linden) began to take over for Lycoming, hitting a layup and a jumper and assisting on the next four Warrior buckets to give Lycoming a 47-39 lead with 10:22 left. The Cougars got back into the game with a 13-4 run over the next eight minutes, setting up the final two minutes.
 
Wheeler was more than impressive in her Lamade Gym debut, finishing with 12 points, eight assists and two steals. Andriani posted a career-high nine points and added seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Ford posted 11 points and five rebounds. Antonelli posted six points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Harlacker added seven points and three rbeounds.
 
Kayla Sileo led the Cougars with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists and McDaniel posted 10 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Kessler finished with 11 points and two steals. Lauren Smicherko added eight points, six rebounds and three steals and Hannah Seely posted five points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back into action on Wednesday, Nov. 28, when they host Alvernia at 6 p.m. at Lamade Gym to open its Commonwealth Conference season.