FREDERICK, Md. – Freshman Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) led the Lycoming College women's basketball team with a career-high 15 points and the team forced 34 turnovers en route to a convincing 67-42 Commonwealth Conference win over Hood College on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 6, at BB&T Arena, helping Lycoming head coach Chris Ditzler earn her 500^th win with the athletic department.
 
Ditzler, who is the first coach in the athletic department's history to reach 500 career wins, has won 252 games as head women's basketball coach during her time as head coach that started in 1993. She also added 235 softball wins from 1993-08 and 13 volleyball wins in 2000.
 
The Warriors (7-1 overall, 2-1 Commonwealth) opened the game on a 9-0 run, with junior Olivia Manges (York, Pa./West York) capping the run with a jumper with 14:51 left. The Blazers came back with a 14-2 run to take a 14-11 lead with 8:15 left, but the Warriors took control at the 6:38 mark, when sophomore Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) hit a layup to give the Warriors a lead and ignite a half-closing 16-5 run to take a 32-22 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, the Warriors continued to play well, going on a 16-3 run in the first nine minutes of the half, with freshman Cassandra Bendyk (Pleasant Mount, Pa./Forest City Regional) hit a 3-pointer to cap the run. The Blazers closed within 19 points twice after that, but the Warriors ended the game with a 14-8 run to make up the final 25-point margin, the team's largest margin of victory in a conference win since a 91-57 win over Wilkes on Jan. 21, 2004, when the team was still a member of the Freedom Conference.
 
Calella added eight points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals and senior Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) added seven points and nine rebounds, as Lycoming shot 35 percent (23-of-65) from the floor and 83 percent (19-of-23) from the free-throw line. Senior Ali Derr (New Columbia, Pa./Milton Area) added six points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Manges, Bendyk and junior Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) each posted five points.
 
Alexis Andrukat and Taylor McGaughey each posted 10 points to lead the Warriors. Andrukat posted three steals. Rachel Wiley notched seven points and nine rebounds.
 
Lycoming held a 51-31 advantage in rebounds, scoring 24 points in the paint and notching a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.
 
The Warriors will take off for finals week before heading to local rival Penn College on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 1 p.m.