The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team remained undefeated through five games this season by pulling out all the stops and escaping with a few close victories.

There was nothing close about their sixth win Saturday.

Blue Jays forward Chad Piersol made sure their game at Lancaster Bible College was put out of reach early, scoring 27 first-half points in a 105-52 rout of the Chargers (0-6), an independent provisional member of Division III working toward full recognition in the 2010-11 season.

Elizabethtown (6-0) used its speed and size to create matchup problems, either pounding the ball inside for an easy layup or switching it back outside, where the team hit 10-of-19 3-pointers. The Blue Jays hit four long-range shots in the first 10 minutes on the way to a 34-6 lead. Piersol had 15 of those points.

"It does feel good to get the easy win. We were expected to win, but it is a matter of being yourself and coming out ready to play," Blue Jays head coach Bob Schlosser said. "We came out of the gate strong, and that carried over the rest of the game."

The Chargers played out of tempo and hurried much of the first half, throwing the ball away and falling into a panic as the game slipped away. The team finished with 33 turnovers, many of those in the first half.

"We got a little tense and felt that if we were open, we had to shoot. We needed to calm down," LBC head coach Pete Beers said. "We failed to box out in the first half. We are young and failed to stay with them, though we improved in the second half when all five players on the floor helped with rebounding."

The Blue Jays dominated play for the remainder of the first half, scoring 16 of the last 20 points on a mix of inside and outside play. Piersol hit a jumper right before the half, and the Blue Jays took a 67-26 lead into the locker room.

"Chad wasn't himself in our last two games. Today he really got into a rhythm, and he is someone we need to score the ball, and he did that today," Schlosser said.

The Chargers grabbed more defensive rebounds in the second half and prevented more second shots from Elizabethtown. Schlosser emptied his bench in the second half, playing his entire team and getting at least one point from 12 of the 14.

Carl Edwards and Billy Harrison paced the LBC attack, with 14 and 11 points respectively. Edwards also grabbed seven rebounds and four steals in the loss.

The Chargers shot 38.3 percent from the field for the game, compared to 55.4 percent for the Blue Jays.

Elizabethtown, which next faces Millersville at 8 p.m. Wednesday at home, was led by Piersol's 29 points, three steals and two blocks. Mike Schatzmann (Pequea Valley) added 17 and Keith Fogel chipped in 11.

The game was played on LBC's brand-new gym floor, which is necessary hardware for the school's Division III bid. Beers, who serves as athletics director as well as a coach, said the floor is one of the improvements the school has done to reward its student athletes.

"The kids give us everything on and off the court, and our administration has been very supportive of making our facilities first-class. You can't ask for excellence unless you show it in your facilities, and the gym is a positive step," Beers said.

The Chargers will continue to play an independent schedule against some very good teams throughout the state and region.

"[The Blue Jays] are a very good Division III school, and these are the type of teams I want us playing so we can see the level we need to achieve to be a good program," Beers said. "The NCAA Division III fits our mission statement as athletes in what they stand for, in teaching them to be leaders in both college and throughout the world."

Beers said he knows there will be some years of losing before the program reaches a truly competitive level. The team next faces Marymount, another strong team, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at home.