Garnet Reign Down on Lions
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore drained a season-high 10 three-pointers and shot 45% from the floor to earn a 78-67 non-conference victory over visiting Lincoln University on Tuesday night.
It was a career day for Swarthmore players. Sophomore post Karen Berk continued to prove herself as one of the top players in the league with a season-high 26 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, career-high five assists and two blocks. Senior guard Jen Stevenson chipped in a career-high 19 points, topping her previous total of 16 set on Saturday afternoon.
Stevenson and Debbie Farrelly '06 hit a season-high four three-pointers apiece.
In their last meeting in 2005, Swarthmore topped Lincoln on their home court, 66-49, including 10 treys from the Garnet squad.
Swarthmore jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the first six minutes of play, shooting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Stevenson broke away from the pack and converted a lay-up at 10:54 to give the Garnet their largest lead of the half, 25-11. The Lions stabilized their offense and cut the lead to eight, 29-21, at 5:49 with a jumper from Asha Atkinson. Swarthmore kept an 11-point cushion, 41-30, going into the locker room. Despite shooting 55% (15-27) from the floor, Swarthmore was plagued by 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.
At the break, Stevenson lead the game with 12 points, and Farrelly chipped in nine points and three assists. Berk grabbed seven boards as the Garnet out-rebounded Lincoln, 18-12.
For the Lions (6-16), Atkinson tallied 10 points and four boards. Danisha Sammons handed out four assists.
The Garnet came out charging after the break. Freshman Melissa Grigsby grabbed an offensive rebound and Berk found the basket to extend the garnet-and-white lead to 18, 50-32, at 17:25.
The Lions didn't cave under the pressure and clawed their way back into the game. Altoria Spann sank two free throws to jumpstart an offensive charge for Lincoln. Atkinson and Sammons combine for 10 points in an 18-5 run in the next six minutes of play. The Lions came within five points, 55-50, before Berk connected on two free throws with 7:40 left to play to push the Garnet ahead by seven.
The two teams traded baskets before Berk converted an old-fashion three-point play to give Swarthmore an eight-point edge, 64-56. After hitting the free throw, the Lincoln guard Sammons took the ball up the court and hit a quick trifecta to cut the lead to five. After a Garnet miss, Sammons repeated her performance with another 3-pointer, putting the Lions two points out from the Garnet, 64-62, with just under five minutes to play.
Berk took control of the post and scored the next five points for Swarthmore, giving Swarthmore a 71-64 lead at 3:28 with an assist from freshman guard Kylah Field. Stevenson then punched in another three-pointer for Swarthmore, and Field added a jumper to extend the Garnet advantage, 76-64. Sammons stayed hot for the Lions and hit another trey with 1:39 remaining, but it was not enough to overtake the home team. Field closed out scoring for the game with a jumper 0:53 to set the scoreboard at 78-67.
Farrelly ended the night with 12 points and Field finished with 10 points. Junior Jessica Fuhr used quick hands to grab four steals.
The Garnet shut down the second-leading rebounder in Division III, Lady Lions' post Mary Rotimi. Rotimi averaged 13.7 boards coming into the game but Swarthmore held her to four and, as a team, out-muscled their opponent 43-28 on the night.
For the Lions, Atkinson earned 19 points and Sammons added 16.
The 78-point finish is the highest total for the Garnet this season, and the highest since January 20 th, 2005 against Muhlenberg.
Swarthmore improves the 9-11 overall. The team will hit the road on Thursday and travel to Lancaster, PA where they will meet up with the Diplomats of Franklin and Marshall. The two teams met in Tarble Pavillion in January, with Swarthmore taking the game, 74-67. Tip-off time is 7:00 p.m.