Lions Defeat Swarthmore
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. - Swarthmore junior Karen Berk posted her 16th double-double of the season while Pamela Costello '10 and Melissa Grigsby '09 chipped in 10 points apiece as the Garnet fell at Lincoln 76-57 in non-conference basketball action Tuesday night.
The Lions' Mary Rotimi shot 10 of 13 from the floor and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds while Shanice Nesmith hit 4 of 9 from three-point land for 17 points to lead Lincoln (13-8) to victory.
Swarthmore got off to a good start, opening a 10-4 lead following a triple by junior guard Laura Popovics at the 15:45 mark in the first half. Freshman forward Pamela Costello kept the good mojo going, hitting her own three-pointer before adding a lay-up to keep the Garnet in front, 15-10 with 11:08 left in the half.
The Lions turned up the perimeter defense and began to work the offensive attack inside to Rotimi, clipping off a 21-6 to close the first half. Lincoln, on the back of 15 points and eight rebounds from Rotimi, owned a 31-21 lead heading into the locker room.
Lincoln opened up the second half with more pressure, putting a 9-4 up to take a 15-point lead with 16:02 to play. Berk asserted her presence for Swarthmore, dropping in a jumper and two free throws to cut the deficit to nine. Lincoln forced the issue once again, turning Swarthmore over 28 times on the night to guarantee their first winning season since 2000.
Berk was 8 of 19 from the floor and 7 of 11 from the charity stripe to total a game-high 23 points, her 24th consecutive game scoring in double figures. Berk's game-high 16 rebounds gave her 261 on the season, passing her previous career-best of 254. It is the sixth-best single season total by a Swarthmore woman.
Costello finished the game 3 of 5 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. The freshman forward leads the team with 20 triples on the season, hitting at nearly 40 % (20 for 52, 38.5%).
The Swarthmore women (4-17, 1-14 CC) resume Centennial action on Saturday, Feb. 10 with a 4:00 p.m. game at Gettysburg.