Season high offense helps Knights earn league first

GLENSIDE, PA: (Jan. 15, 2011) - After 32 tries with no success, Arcadia University Women's Basketball recorded their first win as members of the Commonwealth Conference this afternoon in a 74-62 victory over visiting Lycoming College. The Knights (6-8, 1-4 CC) began play as Commonwealth Conference members in the 2008-09 season and have gone 0-4 against the Warriors (5-10, 1-4 CC) in that time, but that streak ended today as Arcadia turned the best team basketball the squad has produced this season into the most productive offense they've enjoyed. Four players scored in double figures for the Knights.

After seven ties and five first half lead changes, and with the Knights owning the advantage on rather successful offense for both teams, 60% to 51.9% for the Warriors, the two teams entered the half tied at 35. Arcadia's jump shots continued to fall at a high rate in the second half where they outscored the Warriors 39-27. The Knights scored 16 of their 39 second half points at the free throw line, where they went 13 for 17 in the final five minutes of play to secure the win. The Knights registered a season game high of 81.8% from the charity stripe and 51% on field goal shooting and tied their second best three point shooting affair of the season at 42.9%. The Warriors would shoot 47.1% from the floor, 21.4% from downtown and 78.6% from the stripe. Both teams struggled with ball possession, with the Warriors committing 19 turnovers to the Knights' 18. Rebounding was also near even as the Knights earned 30 to the Warriors' 28.

The Knights gained early momentum when Angie Adams '13 nailed a three pointer to give Arcadia the early 3-2 edge. Adams would finish with 15 points, going 3-4 from three point range, 4-4 from the line, dished out a game high 8 assists, and had 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Kelly Donahue '11 iced a three of her own with 8:55 to play in the first to give the Knights their largest lead of 7, 20-13, and although Lycoming would cut it to a one-point Arcadia advantage on four different occassions another Adams three with 2:18 to play before the break would keep the Knights' lead at 6, 33-27. Lycoming was able to pull through in the closing minutes as Julia Antonelli, who led all scorer's with 20 points, would drive for back to back buckets in the final 1:50 and the two teams would settle for a 35 point draw at the half.

Lycoming's Katie Ober, who finished with a double-double (17 pts., 10 rbs.) scored the first four points of the second half for the visitors, who held a 39-35 advantage two minutes in. The four point Lycoming lead was their largest of the game, but it would be their last lead as buckets from Krista Hsu '14, Christie Kershaw '14 and another three from Adams at 16:07 put the Knights back in front 42-41. Christine Taylor '12 drained a three pointer at 15:31 to put the Knights on top 45-41 but Lycoming kept fighting using another bucket from Ober at 12:17 to make it a 45-43 Knight's margin. And then, Taylor made it official, sending another three ball through the twine before converting on a hard-fought three point play under the basket, her free throw at 8:08, giving Arcadia a 55-45 lead and beginning a 13-17 run at the line for the Knights in the final five minutes that allowed them to stay in front for the 74-62 conference victory.

Taylor would finish as the team's leading scorer, with 19 points, 17 coming in the second half, to go along with 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Jackie Law '13 delivered another balanced performance, registering her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 13 pointson 5-7 shooting, and grabbed 10 boards. Law also tacked on a game high 7 steals and dished out 3 assists. Corrine Geiger '11 continued her solid play this week, with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and the Knights lone blocked shot. Hsu would finish with 7 points and 4 rebounds while Kershaw chipped in with 6 points and Donahue 3.

Today's win not only snaps a winless streak in conference play (dating back to Feb. 9. 2008 when Arcadia defeated King's College 57-56 as members of the MAC's Freedom Conference), it also erases a three game losing spurt for the Knights who return to action Monday at Drew University in non-conference play.

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