WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) tied her career high with 17 points and the Lycoming College women's basketball team used 23 turnovers to score 22 points en route to a 63-48 win in its MAC Commonwealth opener against Alvernia University on Wednesday night, Dec. 2, at Lamade Gym.
 
The Warriors (4-3 overall, 1-0 MAC Commonwealth) used balanced scoring, as it shot 44 percent (27-of-61) from the field and posted 22 points off turnover while limiting the Crusaders (3-3 overall, 0-1 MAC Commonwealth) to just eight points while being forced into just 12 turnovers.
 
Sophomore Haley Sipple (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) added 10 points and three blocks and both sophomore Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) and freshman Jenn Grove (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) each added eight points, as posts accounted for 46 of the team's 63 points. Mueller also added four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
 
Lycoming began to take control of the game late in the first quarter after the two teams traded buckets to a tie at 10, as Lycoming scored six straight points, with two coming off defensive pressure that led to fastbreak buckets by Henderson. The Warriors were aided by Alvernia foul trouble, as Tyra Roberts had two points and four rebounds in four minutes before she was sent to the bench with two fouls, setting up the Lycoming run.
 
The Crusaders cut the lead to four by the end of the period at 20-16, but Lycoming went back at it in the second quarter, scoring the first eight points of the period, with Sipple hitting back-to-back jumpers to cap the run to make it 28-16 with 7:25 left. Alvernia cut the deficit to single digits just once in the remaining minutes of the half, and Lycoming took a 33-22 lead into the break.
 
In the third quarter, the Warriors continued keep the game in hand, never letting the Crusaders within nine points before closing the period on a 7-3 run to take a 47-34 lead into the final 10 minutes, where they began the period with a 16-8 run to take a 63-42 lead with 3:44 left. From there, the Crusaders were able to cut the deficit to 15 by the final horn.
 
Freshman Becca Painter (Elverson, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) finished with seven points and two assists and senior Olivia Manges (York, Pa./West York) added five points and a steal. Junior Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) notched only two points, but added seven assists, two blocks and three steals, as she was one of nine Warriors to factor into the scoring.
 
Alvernia was led by nine points each from Kim Whelan and Jenna Wolf. Whelan added five rebounds and three assists and Wolff posted four rebounds and two steals. Chelsea Ebersole added eight points and Miranda Hoover posted seven points and nine rebounds while Morgan Downs notched five blocks.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Dec. 5, when they host Stevenson in another MAC Commonwealth doubleheader with the women tipping at 1 p.m. before the men play at 3 p.m.