WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Maybe it's only fitting that something happened in Lycoming College women's basketball team's head coach Chris Ditzler's 250^th career win that she never saw before. Sophomore Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) notched 12 assists, the second most in school history, and the Warriors used a big run in the last minutes of the second half to cruise to a 72-59 win over rival Susquehanna on Sunday, Nov. 30, at Lamade Gym.
 
Calella's 12 helpers are the most for a Warrior since Ditzler took over the women's basketball program in 1993, falling two shy of the school record of 14 set by Kim Wood against Messiah on Jan. 7, 1989.
 
"I was amazed she had 12 assists," Ditzler said. "I thought she ran our offense really well. She just found open people. She put people in good position to get good shots, also. She penetrated, she dished off. We got good shots out of that. We got good shots out of our offense. She is a good passer and she found open people."
 
Ditzler, meanwhile, became the fifth coach in the athletic department's history to reach 250 wins in a single sport, joining Budd Whitehill (wrestling, 374), Roger Crebs (wrestling, 341), Dutch Burch (men's basketball, 318) and Frank Girardi (football, 257).
 
"I never thought about 250 wins," Ditzler said, "but going 5-1, we talked about how important that is going into Messiah. We're learning how to win and how to finish. That is a great confidence boost. We need to know that we're the team that people have to come in and beat. We're the more aggressive team. I think we are finding out how that feels and what it takes to do that."
 
After trailing by as many as 13, Susquehanna (3-2 overall) pulled within four points at 61-57 with 2:42 left after a 3-pointer from Angie Schedler. The Warriors (5-1 overall) responded with the next eight points though, going a near-perfect 9-of-10 from the line in the waning moments, and by the time senior Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area), picked up a steal at the top of the Susquehanna 3-point line and raced in for a fastbreak layup with 24 seconds left, the Warriors secured a 72-59 win.
 
After the handshake line, the Warriors embraced Ditzler in a group hug near the team's bench, congratulating her for the milestone win, which leaves her just two wins shy of becoming the first coach in program history to record 500 wins when including her 235 softball (1993-08) and 13 volleyball (2000) triumphs.
 
After trailing for much of the first 10 minutes, the Warriors broke open a game they trailed 16-15 with a 29-8 run in the last 10 minutes of the half, starting the run when junior Olivia Manges (York, Pa./West York) canned a triple with 9:32 left to take an 18-16 lead. The Crusaders closed within a point with 8:17 left after a triple from Joneida Williams (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township), but the Warriors scored the next eight points, with senior Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) hitting a 3-pointer to make it 28-19 with 4:23 left. They kept it in three-possession territory for the rest of the half and a pair of free throws by sophomore Rachel Miller (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) helped the Warriors take a 34-24 lead into the break.
 
"It was a great run," Ditzler said. "Our defense was spectacular. We got out and got some good rebounds and outlets. I thought we got some great break opportunities, 2-on-1s. We ran the floor and found open people for shots."
 
The Warriors continued to use quick runs in the second half, building the lead to 43-30 early in the second half thanks to a layup by freshman Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford), but the Crusaders kept the lead between five and 10 points for much of the half until Schedler's 3-pointer with 2:42 left.
 
After opening the game by hitting just 2-of-8, the Warriors hit 11-of-20 in the final 14 minutes of the half, while the Crusaders fell silent from the floor, hitting just 3-of-13 in that same span. The Crusaders rebounded to finish the game by shooting 41 percent (20-of-49), but the Warriors finished at 46 percent (25-of-55) and 84 percent at the line (16-of-19).
 
Manges led the Warriors in scoring for the second straight game, finishing with 16 points and four 3-pointers. Senior Ali Derr (New Columbia, Pa./Milton Area) added 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists and Mueller added a career-high 14 points. Ziminski finished with nine points, two assists and two steals, as she crossed 125 in her career with her first theft of the game. Calella added six points to go with her 12 assists and both juniors Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) and Victoria Siebecker (Cleona, Pa./Annville-Cleona) each added five points.
 
Williams led the Crusaders with nine points and six rebounds while Nikki Komara posted nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. Nicole Gault added nine points and six rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when they host Messiah in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader, beginning with the women's game at 6 p.m. before the men play at 8 p.m. The game will feature a food drive that will benefit 10 local agencies in the Lycoming County area.