Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Despite two players fouling out and fighting foul trouble the whole game, the Lycoming College women's basketball team persevered in Saturday afternoon, Feb. 15's Commonwealth Conference game against Arcadia University, picking up a 70-56 win at Dutch Burch Court at Lamade Gym to stay in a tie for the fifth and final playoff slot with two games remaining in the regular season.
 
Junior Ali Derr (New Columbia, Pa./Milton Area), despite fouling out with 2:32 remaining, managed to post 13 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes and sophomore Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) posted her second double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors (11-11 overall, 8-8 Commonwealth), who stayed tied with Widener for the fifth and final playoff spot, as the Pride knocked off Alvernia, 85-51.
 
The Warriors dominated in the paint, scoring 36 points and also shot 50 percent from the field (27-of-54) in the game, while holding Arcadia to 37 percent (21-of-57).
 
In the second half, the Warriors worked the lead to as many as 16 points at 45-29 after a driving layup by freshman Rachel Miller (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius), but over the next 5:30, the Knights (10-13 overall, 4-12 Commonwealth) worked that lead down to six with a 16-5 run.
 
Sophomore Olivia Manges (York, Pa./West York), who was struggling with an illness, stopped the run with a pair of free throws and a layup by Derr got the lead back to 10 points as Lycoming went on its own 15-2 run to take a 62-47 lead with 4:02 left. The Knights never closed back within single-digits.
 
In the first half, the Warriors built an 11-point lead despite foul trouble for its top three post players, as senior Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford) played just six minutes and Derr finished with 11. Henderson, meanwhile, played 11 minutes, with more than six of that with two fouls, and she delivered seven points, five rebounds and two blocks in that time.
 
Forced to go to the bench, the three post backups delivered, with senior Victoria Kowalski (Mahopec, N.Y./Lakeland) posting five points, freshman Rachel Duncan (York Haven, Pa./Red Land) posting four points and two rebounds and senior Jenna Morgan (Tyrone, Pa./Juniata Valley) pitching in a runner, as despite the foul trouble, the Warriors used a 13-6 run in the final 6:23 to take a 33-21 lead into the break.
 
Antonelli finished with eight points, six rebounds and three assists in just 22 minutes. Her six boards moved her into third in the school's career record book with 724, two more than Amy Elder (1979-83). She also reached 200 rebounds in a season for the second time in her career, becoming the second player to reach that mark.
 
Manges added 10 points, two 3-pointers to reach 30 on the season, and two rebounds. Freshman Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) notched seven assists, two blocks and two steals and point guard counterpart Miller posted six points, two rebounds and two steals.
 
Samantha Caligiuri led the Knights with 19 points and two steals and Valerie DiMuro added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Victoria Mazzeo also notched five points, five assists and 13 rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Tuesday, Feb. 18, as they host Albright in a key Commonwealth Conference doubleheader with the fifth spot in the conference playoffs in line at the 6 p.m. women's game. The men square off at 8 p.m. in another game with playoff implications.