The Lancaster Bible women's basketball team opened 2016 like it closed 2015 - with a win. The Chargers put together a good defensive effort and got timely scoring from senior Katy Stover and defeated Penn College, 79-52 in Williamsport, Pa. Lancaster Bible is now 5-2 overall and 3-0 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play.

How it Happened: Both teams started slowly as the Chargers led the Wildcats just 8-7 midway through the first quarter, but the Chargers began to build a lead late in the quarter thanks to buckets from unlikely sources. Marisa Jo Abts and Mary Finkbeiner combined for six straight points in the final minutes of the opening quarter to help the Chargers build a 14-7 advantage with 1:23 remaining. After a bucket from Penn College, Stover connected on a 3-pointer to give Lancaster Bible a 17-9 lead after the first quarter of play.

Lancaster Bible opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run and didn't allow a point until the 4:45 mark. Back-to-back layups from Shanice Smith and Krissy Pennell gave the Chargers a 29-10 lead with 3:58 to play in the second quarter and Lancaster Bible would take its biggest lead of the half when Smith hit a jumper as the clock turned to zeros, giving the Chargers a 38-18 halftime advantage.

Penn College scored the first eight points of the third quarter and cut its deficit to 12, but Abts was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and converted all three free throws to restore Lancaster Bible's 15-point lead with 7:07 remaining in the quarter. After allowing eight points in the first 2:36 of the quarter, Lancaster Bible would give up just six the rest of the third quarter and took a 63-32 lead after 30 minutes of play.

The Chargers earned their biggest lead of the game with 4:42 to play thanks to a 3-pointer from Stover that gave Lancaster Bible a 71-38 advantage. Two more points from Finkbeiner, a 3-pointer from Pennell and jumper from Smith capped the Chargers' scoring and helped pave the way for Lancaster Bible's second straight victory.

By the Numbers: Stover finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc...Fellow senior Aubrey Folger added 18 points, six rebounds, four blocks, three steals and four assists...Smith chipped in with 12 points and a team-high 14 rebounds...Pennell also had 12 points and added four assists and four steals...Finkbeiner finished with career-high seven points.

The Coach Says: "I thought we were a little flat early on in the game and low on energy, but we battled through it and got the win," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Katelyn Vanderhoff said. "We did some things well, but definitely need to be sharper as we approach our game on Saturday."

Extra! Extra!: Lancaster Bible is now 3-1 all-time against Penn College...Pennell leads the Chargers with 30 steals this season, while Folger, Smith and Stover each have 14 steals...Folger's 22.1 points per game are the third-most in NCAA Division III.

Up Next: Lancaster Bible welcomes Penn St. Abington to Horst Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m...The Nittany Lions are the defending NEAC Champions...The two schools split the season series last year with each team winning at home.