GLENSIDE, Pa. – All five starters for the Lycoming College women's basketball team finished in double figures as it clinched a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Championship with a 77-61 conference win at Arcadia University on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 3, at Alumni Gym.
 
The Warriors (14-7 overall, 8-5 MAC Commonwealth) shot 50 percent from the floor (16-of-32) as it built a 15-point lead and they never looked back en route to clinching a spot in the conference tournament for the fourth time in five years. The Lycoming win coupled by a loss by sixth-place Widener helped ensure the team a spot in the five-team tournament.
 
Freshman Akilah McFadden (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) led the Warriors with 14 points and seven rebounds, junior Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) and freshman Kayla Kline (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) each had 13 points. Senior Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals and junior Haley Sipple (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
The Warriors led the game nearly wire-to-wire, with an old-fashioned 3-point play by Kline breaking a 2-2 tie with 8:42 left in the first quarter to give Lycoming the lead for good. Arcadia cut a seven-point lead to three late in the quarter before back-to-back fastbreak buckets from Kline and Calella ended the threat. A 14-4 run that occupied the final nine minutes of the second half gave Lycoming a 39-24 lead at the break.
 
In the third quarter, Arcadia cut the lead to seven points in the first four minutes before a run of six straight Warrior points helped the team finish the quarter on a 14-8 run. Arcadia closed within nine twice in the fourth quarter, but Lycoming responded by expanding the lead to as many as 19, leading 77-58 with 1:33 left before the Knights scored the final three points of the game.
 
Sophomore Jenn Grove (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) added eight points and three rebounds for the Warriors.
 
Maureen Fiocca led the Knights with 26 points, six rebounds and three assists and Susan Bossler added 17 points and five rebounds. Olivia Roseman led the team with five assists.
 
The Warriors get back in action on Saturday, Feb. 11, when they host Albright College at 1 p.m. to kick off a MAC Commonwealth doubleheader.