LANCASTER, Pa. – Freshman forward Elena Ciccarelli (Whitesboro, N.Y.) was the lone Bison to reach double figures with 11 points and eight rebounds as visiting Gallaudet University lost 58-36 Wednesday against Lancaster Bible College in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) women's basketball game.
Gallaudet (3-8, 1-4 NEAC South Division) scored the game's first five points and even held a 13-9 lead with eight minutes left in the first half before the host Chargers (4-6, 4-2 NEAC South Division) went on a 12-0 run and took a 21-14 lead into intermission.
In the second half, Lancaster Bible outscored Gallaudet 25-8 in the opening 10 minutes and later led by as much as 28 points, 56-28, with 5:47 left before the end of the game. The Bison committed 27 turnovers that led to 28 Charger points. Lancaster Bible outscored GU 38-14 in the paint and held a slim 14-10 advantage on second chance points.
Three different Chargers reached double digits in points led by Brooklyn Wilson and Lauren Heliger's 13 points and Emily Lloyd's 10 points and eight rebounds. Sarah Heilenman grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and chipped in eight points.
In the past three losses the Bison are only averaging 33.33 points compared to averaging 55.5 points in the first eight games of the season. GU has also been dealing with injuries to start the New Year. Sophomore guard Britny Latham (Cleveland, Tenn.) returned to the line-up Wednesday and scored seven points but fellow sophomore guard Stephanie Weiss (Wellington, Fla.) missed her first game of the season today. Freshman Claire Tucker (Middletown, Md.) also returned to the line-up on Wednesday after missing both games this past weekend.
The two teams met a month ago in Washington, D.C., as the Chargers escaped with a 54-49 victory in the NEAC opener for both teams. The game marked the first-ever NEAC game for Lancaster Bible. Today's Gallaudet-Lancaster Bible rematch marked the first-ever home NEAC game for the Chargers.
Gallaudet returns home for a weekend NEAC doubleheader against Keuka College and Wells College. The Bison will look to snap their losing streak against the Storm on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m.