Tarble Visitors Not So Diplomatic
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall extended its four-game win-streak, defeating Swarthmore, 61-55, in Centennial Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.
The Garnet (10-9, 7-5 CC) were led by sophomore forward Kathryn Stockbower (Ft. Washington, Pa. / Upper Dublin), who recorded her 16th double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Senior guard Melissa Grigsby (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East) contributed seven points and tied a career-high eight assists (third time this season). Sophomore guard Ceylan Bodur (Istanbul, Turkey / Roberts College) added 11 points to the Garnet total.
Franklin & Marshall improved to 10-8 overall and 7-4 for the Conference, and were led by 2007-08 Conference Player of the Year Sarah Meisenberg, who registered a doubled-double with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. The senior guard went an impressive 8-for-10 from the free throw line as the Diplomats moved up in the Conference standings with the win. Senior center Cara Landolfi gave a 14-point and seven-rebound effort for the Diplomats.
After some back and forth action the Garnet went up by five points, 9-4, following a three-pointer by junior forward Pamela Costello (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) at 16:24. The Diplomats would come within one but at 10:40, following a fast-break lay-up by Costello, the score was pushed to 15-11 in favor of the Garnet.
The Diplomats benefited from a Meisenberg scoring surge in the final two minutes of the half; she scored nine points to close the half at 32-30 in favor of Franklin Marshall.
In the first half, Swarthmore went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, all completed by Stockbower. Franklin & Marshall edged Swarthmore 10-2 in points-off-turnovers while scoring 20 of their points in the paint.
Swarthmore came out of the locker on a mission, using a 10-0 run to build an eight-point advantage. With 16:27 showing on the clock, Bodur sent the home crowd into a roar with a lay-in.
A Franklin & Marshall 5-0 run was chilled with 9:49 remaining in the game when Swarthmore sophomore Summer Miller-Walfish (San Jose, N.M. / West Las Vegas) scored her first points of the half, pushing the score to 47-41.
The Diplomats did not back down, rebound the ball with vigor. The visitors re-took the lead with a 7-0 splurge, capped by a successful drive to the hoop by Megan Pauley. The Diplomats full-court press limited the Garnet to only two points, compared to the Diplomats six, in the final three minutes of the game.
Saturday's results did nothing to clear up the Centennial Conference race. Swarthmore sits in sixth place (the top five qualify for the post-season tournament), but the margin with the teams above them is small. The Garnet begin a three-game road trip on Tuesday, February 3rd when they travel to Tri-Co rival Bryn Mawr College for a 7:00 p.m. tilt.
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