Terror Out-gun Garnet
WESTMINSTER, Md. - McDaniel College (16-5, 10-4 CC) had five players score in double figures after shooting 48.5% from the floor as a team, defeating Swarthmore 82-70 in Centennial Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
The Green Terror won for the fourth time over the Garnet (8-11, 5-9 CC), including seven of the last eight in the Gill Center.
McDaniel was all over Swarthmore from the tip-off, scoring the first eleven points of the game, capped of by a jumper by guard Robin Gregg at 15:19. Swarthmore forward Karen Berk '08 put the Garnet on the board with a lay-up at 14:40 and proceeded to keep the team with striking distance with 15 first-half points and eight rebounds.
The Green Terror shot 42.4% from the floor in the first half, maintaining at least a seven-point lead for the remainder, and headed into the locker room with a 34-27 lead. McDaniel guard Sara Franz led the team with eight points at the break while senior forward Kristy Costa chipped in seven points and five rebounds.
Garnet senior forward Cara Tigue opened up the second-half scoring with a jumper on the first play of the half, cutting the McDaniel lead to 34-29. The Green Terror out-scored Swarthmore 13-9 over the next three minutes to take a nine-point advantage with 15:47 left in the game. Franz stole the ball and fed junior guard Katy Powell for a lay-up and a 47-38 lead.
The Green Terror began to collapse on Berk in the paint and the Swarthmore outside shooters began to knock down some long shots, cutting the McDaniel lead to as little as two points on three occasions. Swarthmore senior guard Jennifer Stevenson scored nine points over the next six minutes to fuel the Garnet comeback, the last coming on a jumper at the 10:12 mark.
Garnet junior Jessica Fuhr sank a pair of free throws at 9:03 to make the score 57-55 Green Terror.
McDaniel hit the offensive boards hard over the next five minutes, converting four extra chances into buckets. The back-breaker came after Powell missed consecutive free throws and McDaniel center Theresa Hess found the offensive board. Hess kicked the ball out and Green Terror guard Heather Thompson drilled a three-pointer to push the McDaniel lead back to eight, 68-60.
Swarthmore refused to back down, cutting the deficit to five as freshman guard Melissa Grigsby converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:41 left in the game.
The Green Terror put the game out of reach by scoring the next seven points, highlighted by a lay-up by Hess.
Both teams shot the ball well in the second stanza - the Garnet hit 16-of-32 (50%) from the floor while McDaniel made 19-of-35 (54.3%). The Green Terror defense created extra opportunities all night, registering 12 steals while forcing 20 Swarthmore turnovers.
Thompson led McDaniel with 13 points in only 15 minutes of action, Costa finished with 11 points and six boards, while Allison Biggs, Franz, and Amy Watson scored ten points apiece. Hess grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds while Powell handed out a game-high eight assists.
Berk led all scorers with 18 points and corralled a game-high 15 rebounds while registering a season-high four blocks. Stevenson added 16 points and three assists while classmate Debbie Farrelly chipped in 12 points. Grigsby hit double-digits for the fifth time this season, dropping in 10 points and handing out a team-high four assists.
The Garnet return home to Tarble Pavilion on Tuesday, February 7 when they host Lincoln ( Pa.) University in non-conference action at 7:00 p.m.