Berk, Garnet Sweep Fords
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore forward Karen Berk scored a career-high 33 points as the Garnet defeated Haverford 68-58 Saturday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.
It is the 17th consecutive time the Swarthmore (11-14, 7-11 CC) women have won over the Fords (6-19, 4-14 CC). The last Haverford victory came in 1998 when the Fords won 57-45 on the Main Line.
Haverford took its only lead of the night, 4-2, following a pair of free throws by freshman forward Brittany Lattisaw at 18:53. The scored was tied again at the 8:56 mark after Ford senior Katie Crowley hit two from the line at 8:56.
Swarthmore broke the game open with a 15-0 run, led by 10 points from Berk, to assume a 27-12 lead with 4:46 remaining in the half. Berk ended the half with 19 points, sending the Garnet into the intermission with a 31-22 lead over the Fords.
Crowley led Haverford with eight first-half points.
Garnet senior guard Jennifer Stevenson opened the second half with a jumper to push Swarthmore to a 33-22 lead. The momentum swung in the Fords' favor over the next six minutes with Haverford putting together a 14-3 run to knot the score at 36-all with 12:37 remaining.
Swarthmore answered with a lay-up from senior forward Cara Tigue and a triple by freshman Melissa Grigsby give the Garnet a quick 41-36 lead with 11:25 on the clock.
Haverford worked hard to keep the game close over the next six minutes, getting with 50-48 after a Lattisaw lay-up at the 5:48 mark.
A three-pointer by sophomore Laura Popovics and two buckets by Berk culminated a 7-0 run by the Garnet, who pushed the lead back to 57-48 with 4:38 left in the game.
The Fords would only get as close as six points the rest of the way; Swarthmore hit 6-of-10 from the line down the stretch to maintain control. Senior point guard Debbie Farrelly gave the crowd a thrill by sinking the final three-point attempt of her career to give the Garnet a 10-point lead with 1:08 left.
Berk sent the four seniors (Farrelly, Stevenson, Tigue, and Radiance Walters) off with an impressive performance. The sophomore center shot 10-of-19 from the floor and 13-of-17 from the line to establish the highest point total by a Swarthmore women since 2002. Two-time Centennial Conference Player of the Year Katie Robinson '04, in attendance for the Alumni Game on Saturday, dropped in 40 points in a 85-82 double overtime win at Johns Hopkins on February 6.
Berk added 10 rebounds and five steals, tallying her 13th double-double of the season. In three games this week, Berk is averaging 24.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game. Her previous career-high (29 points) came at Muhlenberg on January 20, 2005.
Popovics chipped in nine points for Swarthmore, Stevenson totaled eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in her final appearance, while Tigue concluded her career with six points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Lattisaw tallied her own double-double for the Fords, scoring 14 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Abby Scattergood chipped in 12 points and a game-high seven steals while senior Claire Scribner totaled 10 points in her final game. Crowley was held in check for much of the second half, finishing an impressive four-year career with nine points and six rebounds.
Swarthmore completes the 2005-06 season overall record of 11-14 and finishes the Centennial slate with a 7-11 record.