Bengel, Bullets Melt Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Gettysburg post Jen Bengel scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Bullets past Swarthmore 71-57 on Saturday afternoon. Garnet senior guard Jen Stevenson tallied a career-high 21 points in front of a crowd of 141 at Tarble Pavillion.
The Bullets (15-8, 12-4 CC) jumped out a quick 3-0 lead when junior Kathryne Reilly hit a three-pointer to open scoring. She and Bengel combine for the 15 of the first 20 Gettysburg points as the Bullets built a 13-point lead, 20-7, seven minutes into the game.
Swarthmore came within five, 33-28, with 1:49 left in the first half. Debbie Farrelly stole the ball and converted on a trey on the other end. Gettysburg refocused their efforts and stretched the lead to seven, 37-30, going into the break.
The first half was marred by sloppy play on both ends of the court, as Swarthmore and Gettysburg combined for 17 turnovers.
Stevenson was a bright spot for the Garnet in the first half, shooting 6-8 from the floor, including 2-2 from behind the arc, and grabbing 14 points before the halfway mark. The senior captain also dominated the boards for Swarthmore, leading the team with four rebounds.
Bengel, the leading scorer in the Centennial Conference with 18.7 ppg., shot 6-8 from the field and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe to lead the Bullets with 18 at the break. Reilly added nine points while Bengel and sophomore guard Megan Hartman each totaled five boards.
Gettysburg shot 52% from the floor in the first half (57% for the game) and went 9-10 from the free throw, but the Garnet kept the game close with 4-of- 9 shooting from downtown.
The second half looked much like first as the Bullets maintained a double-digit lead throughout. Gettysburg built their most significant lead of the game, 59-39, with 11:24 remaining. Swarthmore fought back and cut the lead to 11 on a fast-break layup from sophomore guard Laura Popovics, but the Garnet came no closer.
Stevenson added six rebounds to her 21 points and Farrelly contributed 11 points and four steals for the Garnet.
Gettysburg went 14-18 from the line, including 9-9 from Bengel. Reilly and Jamie Marshall added 14 and 15 points, respectively while Hartman closed the game with seven boards.
Swarthmore's record falls to 9-14, 5-12 in the conference. The women will travel to Washington College for their final road game on Wednesday, February 14th. Tip-off time is 7:00 p.m.