F&M Deflates Garnet Comeback
LANCASTER, Pa. - Diplomats freshman guard Sarah Meisenberg dribbled the length of the court and hit a twisting lay-up to send home-standing Franklin & Marshall to a 68-66 Centennial win over Swarthmore (9-12, 5-10 CC) in the Mayser Center on Thursday evening.
F&M (8-14, 5-9 CC) led 58-46 with 8:02 remaining in the game before the Garnet ticked off a 20-8 run, tying the game at 66-all when Swarthmore sophomore post Karen Berk finished a post move in transition at 1:24.
The teams traded missed baskets with the Diplomats calling a time-out with 32.6 seconds on the clock and 12 ticks left on the shot clock. F&M missed a jump shot and Swarthmore controlled the rebound. The Garnet worked to get the ball in the hands of Berk, finally succeeding with 12 seconds left. Berk made a move down the lane but a double-team forced her to lose her balance. As Berk was falling, she attempted to hit senior guard Jen Stevenson in the corner. The pass sailed wide and out of bounds with possession going to the Diplomats, thus setting up Misenberg's last-second heroics.
The game had many similarities to a F&M-Swarthmore contest in Tarble Pavilion on January 13, 2004. The Garnet held a 20-point lead in the second half before the Diplomats came roaring back to take the lead, 64-63 with 10.1 seconds remaining following a pair of Johns free throws. Swarthmore forward Zoey Adams-Deutsch '06 weaved up court with the final seconds ticking and found forward Ali Wolff '05 under the basket for the game-winning lay-up as the horn sounded.
In this contest, the two teams battled back and forth in the first half, with Swarthmore taking a 27-25 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
The Diplomats were the aggressor to start the second half, out-scoring Swarthmore 15-4 in the first 4:54.
Berk led the Garnet with a season-high 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 from free throw line. Senior guard Debbie Farrelly chipped in 11 points while Stevenson added nine points. Senior forward Cara Tigue corralled a game-high 11 rebounds while Berk grabbed nine boards.
Meisenberg led F&M with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting while guards Dana Johns and Christy Strunk added 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
Swarthmore returns to Tarble Pavilion this Saturday, February 11, hosting Centennial rival Gettysburg College at 2:00 p.m.