GRANTHAM, Pa. – Playing against a team that finished 17-9 in 2009-10, the young Lycoming College women's basketball team nearly pulled off a quality upset against Rowan University to start the Hampton In Tip-Off Classic at Messiah College, but nine straight points in a five-minute span in the second half and overtime periods helped Rowan hang on for a 73-65 win at Brubacker Auditorium on Friday, Nov. 19.
Junior Chelsea Shearer (East York, Pa./Dallastown) scored a career-high 17 points, canning five treys to lead the Warriors, while senior forwards Rebecca Spencer (Granville Summit, Pa./Troy) and Kaitlyn Ober (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) combined for 23 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Rachael Scheller (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) added five points, six assists and four steals.
The Warriors (1-1 overall) took a three-point lead with 2:44 left in regulation after a layup from Ober on a dish by Shearer, but a free throw by Gina Catanzariti cut the lead to two points with 2:13 left before a turnover helped Lauren Gregg tie the game for the Profs (1-1 overall) with 1:44 left. The Warriors had three shots to take the lead and four possessions and the Profs took two shots and had four possessions in the waning 100 seconds, but neither team could take advantage, heading into overtime knotted at 63.
The Profs, led by four points from Gregg, scored the first six points in overtime to take control, even though a jumper by Shearer cut the lead to four points and a steal by Scheller gave the Warriors the chance to cut the lead to one, but a 3-point attempt was off the mark and the Profs scored the final four points of the period to take the 73-65 decision.
The Profs got off to a great start, taking a 14-5 lead by the 14:35 mark and the team nursed a seven-point lead until the midway mark in the half when a layup by sophomore Leeann Randall (Audobon, Pa./Methacton) cut the lead to five and 9-2 run that occupied the next six minutes and ended when a free throw from junior Erin Connaghan (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) tied the game at 20. A 3-pointer from freshman Jessica Knott (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) gave the Warriors a 23-22 lead with 4:54 left, but the Profs closed the half on a 9-3 run to take a 31-25 lead into the locker room.
A trio of 3-pointers from Shearer highlighted a 10-0 run that occupied the first 3:55 of the second half, as the Warriors took a 35-31 lead and continued to maintain it throughout much of the second half, with the teams going through only one lead change and two ties during the first 13 minutes of the half. Lycoming took its largest lead of five points after a trey from Spencer with 8:11 left, but a three from Rowan's Brittany Baum and a jumper from Lauren Creel tied the game at 51 with 6:07 left. From there, the teams traded the lead twice before another trey from Shearer gave Lycoming a 59-55 lead with 4:00 left, setting up the Profs' closing run.
Spencer notched 12 points and five rebounds and Ober added 11 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford) posted six points and five rebounds and Connaghan added seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Gina Catanzariti led Rowan with 16 points while both Lauren Creel and Baum posted 13 points. Ashley Russo posted 12 rebounds, six points and two steals and Creel also added three swipes. Gregg notched 10 points and five rebounds.
The Warriors close out their trip to Messiah College and the Hampton Inn Tip-Off Tournament Classic with a 1 p.m. game against Pitt-Greensburg, who fell to No. 15 Messiah on Friday night, 77-45, on Saturday, Nov. 20.