Berk, Stockbower Over Power Green Terror
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore forwards Karen Berk '08 and Kathryn Stockbower '11 combined for 53 points and 28 rebounds as the Garnet defeated McDaniel 86-79 in the Centennial women's basketball opener for both schools Tuesday night at Tarble Pavilion.
Berk finished with a season-high 30 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks while Stockbower posted her third career double-double in four games, setting career-highs with 23 points and 19 rebounds. Swarthmore (2-2, 1-0 CC) picks up a victory over the Green Terror (1-3, 0-1 CC) for the first time in five years—the Garnet downed McDaniel 70-60 in Westminster on Nov. 26, 2002.
The game hung in the balance with three minutes remaining as the Swarthmore forwards took over. The Green Terror just made it a three-point contest, 76-73, on a lay-up by senior guard Robbin Gregg (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett) with 3:10 remaining. But Stockbower hit one of two at the free throw stripe and Berk grabbed the missed and scored to put Swarthmore up by six, 79-73 with 2:18 to go.
The Garnet broke through the McDaniel full-court pressure and converted the ensuing free throws (six of eight) to ice the win.
It was all Swarthmore at the tip as the Garnet women raced out to a 13-6 lead at 13:46 following a jumper in the lane by Stockbower. Swarthmore continued to pound the ball inside to its front line, building a 16-point lead at 6:37 (the largest of the night) when Berk finished off a move on the left block to put the home team up 34-18.
The Green Terror cut into the deficit by getting out on the fast break for lay-ups and drawing fouls—McDaniel was 10 of 13 (76.9%) from the line in the first 20 minutes. Gregg fueled the attack with eight points and three assists while backcourt mate Ali Moreland (Davidsonville, Md. / South River) added eight.
Swarthmore held off the visitors’ surge (McDaniel closed the half on a 10-2 run) for a 40-36 advantage heading into the locker room. Berk led all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting as the Garnet hit 48.5% from the floor.
McDaniel quickly erased the halftime deficit, tying the game at 45-all with 18:12 left as junior forward Lauren Wyble (Severna Park, Md. / Severna Park) finished off a feed from senior guard Courtney Gogolinski (Pasadena, Md. / Chespeake).
The teams went back and forth over the next nine minutes with the score ending up tied on four separate occasions.
Swarthmore senior guard Laura Popovics (Gorham, Maine / Gorham) sank one of her three triples on the night, putting the hometown squad ahead for good, 61-59, at the 9:03 mark. Stockbower took over inside, scoring 17 second-half points (seven of 11 from the line) while snatching eight offensive rebounds. Her 19 total rebounds were the most by a Swarthmore first-year since Heather Kile ’02 pulled in 21 boards vs. Haverford on February 3, 1999.
Popovics finished with a season-high 10 points and three assists while freshman Ceylan Bodur (Istanbul, Turkey / Robert College) added 11 points.
The three blocks by Berk gave her 100 swats in her career--she is just third Swarthmore basketball player (male or female) to hit the century mark.
Moreland hit for a career-high 21 points while Gregg posted a career-high of her own 16 points while tying her career-best with seven assists.
The Garnet hit on the road for the next five contests, heading to Baltimore for a 1:00 p.m. Centennial tilt with Johns Hopkins this Saturday, Dec. 1. Swarthmore returns to Tarble Pavilion on January 9, 2008 for a 5:00 p.m. game with Franklin & Marshall.