Box Score

READING, Pa. – A stellar defensive effort that held Alvernia University to 25 percent from the floor and a near triple-double from senior Rachael Scheller (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) helped the Lycoming College women’s basketball team take control of the fifth and final playoff slot in the Commonwealth Conference with a 64-44 win at the Physical Education Center on Wednesday night, Jan. 23.
 
Scheller blew past 200 career steals, becoming the fourth player in school history to do so, as she swiped a career-high nine while adding 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds. The Warriors (5-12 overall, 5-6 Commonwealth) notched 16 steals in the game.
 
Besides Scheller’s 11 points, the team also got a career-high 14 from freshman Shanley Harlacker (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion Area), as she hit four 3-pointers, and junior Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford) posted 12 points and five rebounds despite fighting through foul trouble throughout the game.
 
An explosive first half from Antonelli and Harlacker helped the Warriors take a 34-21 lead into the break, as the pair combined for 23 points.
 
The Warriors were aided by a slow start by Alvernia (7-10 overall, 4-7 Commonwealth) in the first half, as back-to-back 3-pointers from Scheller and Harlacker helped the team take a 12-0 lead before Alvernia finally got on the board with a 3-pointer more than eight minutes into the game.
 
Alvernia closed within 14-9 with 9:18 left, but the Warriors got back-to-back 3-pointers from Harlacker to help the Warriors’ offense jumpstart and take a 22-9 lead with 5:00 left. The Crusaders were able to keep the lead at 13 points at halftime, as each team scored 12 points in the final minutes of the half.
 
Lycoming continued to press in the second half, scoring the first six points of the half to take a 40-21 lead with 15:02 left after a layup from freshman Olivia Manges (York, Pa./West York).
 
The Crusaders could only get as close at 14 after that before the Warriors went on a 15-4 run that was capped on back-to-back fastbreak layups from Scheller and sophomore Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) to make it 55-30 with 7:14 left. From there, the Crusaders could only get as close as 19 points, as Lycoming shot a healthy 52 percent (12-for-23) from the field in the second half.
 
Sophomore Ali Derr (New Columbia, Pa./Milton Area), Ziminski and Manges each added six points, with Derr posting seven rebounds and Ziminski also posting four steals and five rebounds.
 
Chelsea Ebersole led the Crusaders with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals and Kayla Long added eight points and seven rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Jan. 26, when they host Widener in another Commonwealth Conference doubleheader at Lamade Gym. The women tip at 1 p.m. and the men tip at 3 p.m.