WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – There were times the gym was about to explode and then the ball fell off the rim. It wasn't until a pair of free throws were calmly knocked down by sophomore Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) with 7:54 left that the Lycoming College women's basketball team could begin to taste one of the biggest upsets in program history.
 
The game ended on the line, too, with Calella hitting 3-of-4 on the line in the final two seconds to lift the Warriors to a 50-46 Commonwealth Conference win over the defending conference champion Messiah on Wednesday night, Dec. 3, at Lamade Gym.
 
Calella's free throws clinched what was a supreme defensive effort by the Warriors (6-1 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth), as they forced the Falcons (3-4 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth) into 22 turnovers, helping them score 19 points and down the Falcons for the first time since a Middle Atlantic Conference playoff game in 1995.
 
"We talked at halftime and said we had to believe in ourselves," Lycoming head coach Christen Ditzler said. "We're better than how we performed in the first half and we needed to prove it. It told them the other day that you are what you do, not what you say you'll do. I challenged them again and told them they needed to make some noise and perform."
 
The Warriors, down nine at the break, charged back into the game in the second half after falling behind by a game-high 11 points with 14:56 left. From there, the Warriors started a 12-0 run that occupied the next eight minutes. Junior Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) hit a jumper to start the run before junior Victoria Siebecker (Cleona, Pa./Annville-Cleona) hit a 3-pointer to make it a six-point game with 12:51 left. The Warriors continued to pressure, finally taking the lead with a pair of free throws from Calella with 7:54 left.
 
The Falcons scored the next three points on the line before freshman Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) completed a huge traditional 3-point play. The Falcons got the lead back with 5:54 left with a pair of free throws, but Henderson took over, hitting a jumper on the baseline, then getting a steal before Mueller hit a layup down low to make it 43-40 with 5:01 left.
 
"That's one nice thing about our team," Ditzler said. "There isn't one person you have to stop because we have a lot of people that can play. It just so happened today that Shelby Mueller had a great game inside. Nicole Calella handled the point position so well and Chelsea Henderson caught fire from outside the paint, which is what we needed."
 
The Falcons worked back into the game and took a 46-45 lead with 1:59 left on a layup by Sienna Wisse, but Mueller hit two free throws with 1:19 left after getting fouled getting a defensive rebound. From there, the Warriors forced two Falcon misses, with Calella getting fouled on the second and hitting the back end of a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds left. After a turnover, the Warriors wrapped up the game when Calella hit a pair more free throws with 1.3 seconds left.
 
Messiah took an early 7-0 lead, but the Warriors responded with six straight points, as sophomore Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) scored on a fastbreak layup with 14:25 left. With both teams playing outstanding defense throughout much of the half, it was the Falcons that finally were able to separate with a 10-2 run to make it 21-19 with 3:36 left after a traditional 3-point play from Hannah Nichols. The Warriors cut the lead to five with a pair of fastbreak buckets, but Messiah got the lead back to nine at break at 25-16, thanks to a pair of jumpers in the last two minutes.
 
Mueller led the Warriors with 13 points and five rebounds and both Calella and Henderson added 11. Calella also posted four assists and six rebounds and Henderson posted five steals to go with three rebounds. Senior Ali Derr (New Columbia, Pa./Milton Area) added two points and seven rebounds and senior Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) added six points and two steals.
 
Gillian Glackin posted 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Warriors and Jen Fairbanks posted 12 points and three rebounds. Hannah Nichols posted seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
 
The Warriors, thanks to forcing 22 turnovers, finished by shooting 33 percent (19-of-57) from the floor and 85 percent (11-of-13) from the line, leading to a 19-7 advantage in points off turnovers. Messiah was held to 36 percent (15-of-42) from the floor.
 
The Warriors get back in action on Saturday, Dec. 6, when they head to Hood for Commonwealth Conference action at 1 p.m.