Box Score GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University women's basketball team led by 14 at the midway point but could not hang on as visiting Alvernia University pulled out a 54-51 Commonwealth Conference decision at Alumni Gymnasium.
 
The Crusaders improved to 6-10 overall with the win, while the Knights fell to 8-8 with the loss. Both squads are now 2-7 in conference play.
 
Alvernia outscored Arcadia 10-5 in the opening five minutes, but the Knights took over in the remaining 15 minutes, outscoring the Crusaders 24-5 to close out the first half with a 29-15 lead. Arcadia shot an efficient 40 percent (8-20) from the floor and was 11-of-15 at the line, while holding Alvernia to 23 percent (6-26) shooting from the field.
 
It was a very different game in the second half. The Crusaders outscored the Knights 22-6 in the opening nine minutes to take a 37-35 lead and took the lead for good on a layup from junior guard Mya Lobb (Reading, Pa.) that made it 48-47 with 4:41 left in the game. Lobb later capped the scoring with a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left for the 54-51 final.
 
Alvernia shot 56 percent (13-23) from the field and was 12-of-21 at the stripe in the second half, while Arcadia shot 33 percent (8-24) from the field and was just 5-of-11 at the line. Turnovers also proved costly for the Knights in the second half, as their 10 turnovers led to 15 points for the Crusaders. Alvernia had just three turnovers in the half, but Arcadia could not take advantage of those few chances.
 
The Knights had two possessions in those final 25 seconds, but sophomore guard Samantha Caligiuri (West Grove, Pa.) missed on the front end of a 1-and-1 and sophomore guard Mary Badeen's (Newport, Maine) couldn't get the three from the right corner in the closing seconds wouldn't fall, giving the Crusaders the win.
 
Freshman center Tyra Roberts (Bensalem, Pa.) scored a game-high22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field to lead Alvernia, while junior guard Kaitlyn Yoh (Wernersville, Pa.) netted 14 points.
 
Sophomore guard Dominique Hassinger (Franklinville, N.J.) scored  10 points with four assists and three boards to lead Arcadia, while Caligiuri and sophomore forward Valerie DiMuro (Tappan., N.Y.) added eight points each.
 
The Knights will next travel to Stevenson University Saturday for a 3 p.m. Commonwealth Conference contest.