WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior Olivia Manges (York, Pa./West York) hit her only 3-pointer of the game with 2:41 left to give the Lycoming College women's basketball team its first lead of the game and it was able to hold on in a 71-65 win over MAC Commonwealth foe Widener on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 30, in Lamade Gym. The win gives Lycoming its first season series sweep of Widener in program history.
 
The win propels the Warriors to a 12-7 overall record with a 7-3 MAC Commonwealth record while the Pride fall to 12-8 overall and 5-6 in conference.
 
Sophomore Haley Sipple (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) led all scorers in the game with a career-high 24 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor and a crucially important 11-for-11 from the free throw line – the second most in school history in a single game. Sophomore Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) finished the game with 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting (.455) from the floor, 5-for-6 on free throws, six rebounds, and two blocks while junior Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) finished with nine points and six assists, making her the first Warrior since 2002-03 to dish out 100 dimes in a season.
 
After Manges' 3-pointer, the Warriors held a slim 58-57 lead before Calella drove through the middle of the paint and hit a layup that hung on the rim before falling through while getting fouled and converted the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play to take a 61-57 lead with 1:07 left. After the Warriors got a stop on defense, Calella hit two more free throws, helping start a final minute where the team hit 10-of-12 at the line to seal the win.
 
After the Pride opened the game by scoring the first six points, the Warriors came back with four points of their own. The Pride pulled away after that in the first quarter as they took a 12-5 lead and headed into the second quarter with a 17-9 lead. A steal by Manges led to a layup by Mueller to begin the second quarter and the Warriors were able to hold the Pride without a field goal on their first six possessions. After the Pride went on a 9-2 run to take a 26-15 lead, Sipple single-handedly brought the Warriors back into the game as she fueled a 6-0 run with two baskets and a steal that led to bring the Warriors within five points at the break, 26-21.
 
Sipple had a huge third quarter to keep the Warriors close, scoring 10 points. After freshman Jenn Grove (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) hit two free throws to cut the deficit to five, Julia Venturelli hit a three on the next possession to increase the Warrior deficit to 47-39.
 
The Warriors began their comeback in the beginning of the fourth. With under eight minutes left, senior Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) came up with a steal at the free throw line and finished the fast-break layup to cut the deficit down to two. After some stops on defense, Calella found Mueller cutting to the hoop for the layup to tie the game at 53 to set the stage for Manges' clutch three.
 
The Warriors held advantages in points off turnovers (15-6) and points in the paint (28-22) while committing fewer turnovers than the Pride (20-13).
 
Pride sophomore Nikki Petri finished with a team-high 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting and sophomore Allison Gallagher finished with 11 points and pulled in seven rebounds.
 
The Warriors return to action on Monday, Feb. 1, when they travel to Stevenson at 5 p.m. for another vital MAC Commonwealth matchup.