Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The post duo of junior Ali Derr (New Columbia, Pa./Milton Area) and senior Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford) combined for 35 points and 13 rebounds, but the Lycoming College women's basketball team fell to a late Susquehanna University rally, 58-54, on Monday afternoon, Dec. 30, in the Hoops for Hounds Tournament championship game at Dutch Burch Court at Lamade Gym.
 
Junior Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) posted seven points and a career-high six steals en route to all-tournament team honors, as she averaged 10.0 points in the two-game tournament.
 
Antonelli finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals while Derr posted a career-high 17 points and four rebounds before fouling out with 1:15 left,
 
The Crusaders (4-4 overall) overcame an eight-point Lycoming (5-4 overall) lead with 14:58 left, using a 16-8 run to tie the game at 45 on a 3-pointer by tournament MVP Nikki Komara just over five minutes later. Three free throws over the next two minutes from Komara helped Susquehanna take a 3-point lead, which they never relinquished, although, Lycoming cut it down to one point twice in the final 200 seconds.
 
The Warriors cut the lead to 52-51 with 3:05 left off a jumper by Derr, but couldn't get the go-ahead bucket despite three chances in the next 1:50 and All-Tournament team member Joneida Williams made Lycoming pay with an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:15 left. Lycoming cut the lead to two points with 1:02 left on a jumper by Antonelli and with 26 seconds left cut the lead to one at 55-54 on a free throw, but Williams iced the game seconds later with a pair of free throws.
 
The two teams traded leads 10 times in the first half to go along with four ties before Susquehanna built a six-point lead with a five-point run capped by a 3-pointer from Catherine Malatack with 2:44 left. However, Lycoming finished the half with a 10-0 run to take a 29-25 lead into the break, with freshman Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) leading the run with four points and an assist.
 
Lycoming continued to maintain a two-possession lead through the first five minutes of the seconds half, with Antonelli's layup with 14:58 left giving Lycoming a 37-29 lead.
 
Komara led the Crusaders with 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with six steals and Malatack added 12 points. Williams finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back on the court with an important Commonwealth Conference matchup on Saturday, Jan. 4, when they head to Arcadia for a 1 p.m. game.