LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points, but it wasn't enough as the Lincoln University women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to Philadelphia University, 62-61, on Wednesday night at Manuel Rivero Hall.
 
“I was not pleased with how they played today,” Lincoln head coach Jessica Kern said. “We went six minutes without scoring in the first half. We're making a habit of becoming the comeback kids and we can't do that. I'm proud of our effort. We had a 30-turnover game in our last contest and we brought it down to 22 tonight. We had 13 assists, which is a season high and 11 steals. But for this to be our home opener, it is not acceptable. I'm disappointed we didn't come away with the win.”
 
Johnson supplied the Lady Lions (3-3) in the first half with 10 points to finish with 15 on the night, including going 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Courtney Lucas (Washington, DC/Friendship Collegiate Academy) added 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting and Krystal Fluellen (New York, N.Y./Richard Green HS) had 12 points. Denyse Moore (Hampton, Va./Woodside HS) dished out a season-best seven assists as Lincoln was 24-of-62 from the floor for 39 percent.
 
The Lady Lions had to play from behind for most of the first half and fell behind by as many as 16 points, 31-15, after a putback by Kristen Byle with 6:11 remaining. But despite the deficit, Lincoln chipped away at the margin by using a 14-4 run to end the first half as the Lady Rams took a 35-29 advantage into the break.
 
Philadelphia took its largest lead of the second half at 37-29 after a Byle jumper with 19:17 left, but Lincoln respond with a furious, 25-12, run to grab a 53-49 advantage after a Lucas 3-pointer.
 
The Lady Lions had their biggest lead of the evening, 57-52, with 4:27 left as Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS), who finished with six points, scored on a putback. The Lady Rams kept the contest close and took a 60-59 lead with 1:33 remaining on a Byle jumper.
 
A free throw by Stephanie Agger gave Philadelphia a 62-59 advantage with 1:07 left, but Lincoln respond as Fluellen hit a clutch jumper in the paint with 49 seconds remaining to cut the margin to 62-61 with 49 ticks remaining.
 
Agger missed a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left and Moore's shot as the clock ticked down hit the front iron, giving the Lady Rams the win.
 
Byle finished with a game-high 24 points, including going 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, to pace the Lady Rams (4-2). Agger scored 15 points and Christine Wooding finished with a double-double, 12 points and 12 rebounds as Philadelphia shot 33 percent (18-of-55) from the field.
 
The Lady Lions take to the court 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3 at Manuel Rivero Hall against St. Thomas Aquinas College.