WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Shooting 67 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, the Lycoming College women's basketball team surged past King's College, 62-55, in its final non-conference game of the season, lifting Lycoming head coach Christen Ditzler to her 300^th career win on Monday night, Jan. 8, in Lamade Gym.
 
The game wasn't the prettiest of Ditzler's 25-year tenure at Lycoming (11-3 overall), as the team shrugged off a 19 percent effort behind the arc by shooting 54 percent (21-of-39) inside it. The Warriors, playing without usual starters in sophomore Hailey Dayton (Reisterstown, Md./St. Timothy's) and senior Haley Sipple (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester), due to illness, had two players finish in double figures led by senior Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford), who had 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, as she tied the school record for free throws made in a career with 278. The mark was set by Annette Weller from 1991-96.
 
Sophomore Akilah McFadden (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Morgan Mader (Cresco, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) added eight points and a career-high five assists and freshman Erica Lutz (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) posted six points to go with career-highs of 13 rebounds and five blocks. Freshman Tori Talanca (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) also added eight points and two rebounds.
 
The Lycoming defense rose to the occasion against King's (7-6 overall), blocking 11 of the team's 72 shots, and holding the Monarchs to 29 percent (21-of-72) from the floor.
 
Tied at 39 entering the fourth quarter, the Warriors scored the first three points of the quarter, with Mader finding Mueller for a layup with 8:27 left before King's closed within a point twice more. A 3-pointer from Mader with 6:57 left expanded the lead to four and a dagger 3-pointer from McFadden with 4:30 left off another give from Mader helped Lycoming take a 52-45 lead.
 
King's closed within three points with 2:49 left off a layup from Rebecca Prociak, but senior Hailey Fricke (Denver, Pa./Garden Spot) hit a 17-footer before grabbing a defensive board on King's ensuing possession, which led to a fastbreak baseline jumper from Talanca on the other end of the floor to make it 56-49. Lycoming led by as many as eight twice in the closing moments, setting up the final horn and a brief celebration of Ditzler's historic win.
 
The first quarter had three ties and four lead changes, with Lycoming opening up an 8-4 lead before King's fought back to tie it at 11. In the second quarter, the Warriors scored the first seven points of the period, with Mader hitting a 3-pointer to make it 18-11 and a jumper from Mueller later extended the lead to nine with 1:42 left, but King's closed the gap to three at the break with a  pair of 3-pointers.
 
In the third quarter, King's used a run of five straight points to take a 31-29 lead with 5:15 left and the team's battled through five ties and three lead changes before Alexis Steeber hit a buzzer-beating jumper at the end of the period to tie the score at 39 heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Rebecca Prociak led the Monarchs with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Steeber added 15 points and seven rebounds and Mackenzie Yori finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals.
 
The Warriors wrap up their three-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 10, when they host Albright in a battle for second-place in the MAC Commonwealth at Lamade Gym at 7 p.m.