Garnet Thwart Pioneers In Overtime, Head to Seven Sisters Championship Game
HAVERFORD, Pa. - Swarthmore advanced to its fourth consecutive Seven Sisters Championship game, defeating Smith (MA) 51-45 in overtime in semifinal action at Gooding Arena Saturday afternoon.
For the fourth straight year Garnet (3-3 overall) will face defending champion Mount Holyoke (66-47 winners over Vassar) in the championship; tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3.
Garnet junior Karen Berk kept her double-double streak alive - the center scored a tournament-high 21 points with 11 rebounds for her ninth consecutive double-double (dating back to Feb. 14, 2006 at Washington).
Rosie Baldwin stole the ball and converted the fast-break lay-up at 6:55 in the first half to give Smith (1-5) its largest lead of the afternoon, 17-11. Swarthmore ran off the final eight points of the first half to assume a 25-22 lead into the intermission. Berk led all scorers with 12 points while Grigsby added seven points. Pioneers freshman Berit Schelde kept the Pioneers close with seven points and six rebounds.
The Garnet opened up a six-point lead when captain Jess Fuhr '07 sank a three-pointer and another jumper at 16:36 for a 30-24 Swat advantage. The Pioneers scored on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 30-28, but Berk finished off another move in the paint to get back to a four-point lead.
The two teams went without scoring for almost four minutes until Smith's Lisa Marie Vuono scored back-to-back baskets to bring the Pioneers within two points at 7:35. Swarthmore took a time-out and drew up a play for Berk - the junior scored the goal, got fouled, and sank the free throw at 6:41 to put the Garnet up 37-32. The resilient Pioneers got within one point after two free throws by Schelde at 5:29, but Fuhr swished her second three-pointer a minute later to put Swarthmore up 40-36.
After another three minutes of back-and-forth action, Schelde made a lay-up to cut the lead to two and then Helena Charron sank a jumper with 39 seconds remaining to tie the game at 40-40. The score remained that way as the teams headed to overtime.
Garnet sophomore guard Melissa Grigsby opened up the extra session with her first three-pointer of the game with 3:22 remaining, but the Pioneers fought back to take the lead with consecutive buckets. Charron finished a feed from Jessica Paul at 1:52 to give Smith its first lead, 44-43 since the middle of the first half.
Swarthmore immediately re-assumed the lead when freshman guard Lisa Schumacher scored her basket of the afternoon with 1:29 left. Vuono made one of two from the line to tie the game at 45-45 and Berk put the Garnet in the driver's seat with a lay-up with 39 seconds left. Freshman Amber Wantman rebounded a missed Paull jumper and then sank two free throws to put Swarthmore up by four with 20 ticks remaining. Wantman corralled a final Smith three-pointer and iced the contest by making two more from the charity stripe with one second left.
Fuhr finished with 11 points for Swarthmore while Grigsby added ten points, three assists and two steals. Charron led the charge for the Pioneers with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Schelde added her own double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists.
It was the first overtime game for the Garnet under second-year head coach Renee DeVarney and, ironically, the first time Swarthmore has hit extra time since a 56-53 win over Smith on Dec. 6, 2002 in the first round of the Seven Sisters Championship at Wellesley College.
Mount Holyoke (5-1) has defeated Swarthmore in each of the last four Seven Sisters Championships - the last three times coming in the title game. The Lions won 54-49 at Vassar in 2003, 50-44 at Bryn Mawr in 2004, and 63-57 last season at Smith. The last Swarthmore win over Mount Holyoke (74-46) came in the first round of the 2001 Seven Sisters Championship during the Garnet run to the championship in Tarble Pavilion.