Ursinus Foils Garnet
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Garnet forwards Karen Berk '08 and Kathryn Stockbower '11 combined for 35 points and 21 rebounds as Swarthmore dropped a 62-53 decision at defending Centennial Champion Ursinus Saturday afternoon in women's basketball action.
Bears’ sophomore center Carolyn Kostanzer (Hilltown, Pa. / Pennridge) tallied a game-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds to lead Ursinus (10-7 overall, 8-2 CC) to its fourth straight victory.
Berk (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) shot 8-for-15 from field for a team-high 20 points and added eight rebounds and three steals. Stockbower (Fort Washington, Pa. / Upper Dublin) posted her 13th double-double of her young career, scoring 15 points while grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. Swarthmore senior point guard Laura Popovics (Gorham, Maine / Gorham) added eight assists (a career-high) for the Garnet (4-12 overall, 1-9 CC).
It was all Swarthmore and Berk in the first half, as a 14-6 run put the Garnet up by 10. Berk’s jumper at 6:55 gave Swarthmore a 25-15 lead.
The Bears answered with a 10-2 run of their own, fueled by four points from sophomore forward Julie Brown (Lower Gwynedd, Pa. / Penn Charter). A three-point play by Konstanzer got Ursinus within 27-25 at the 3:10 mark.
Garnet junior guard Melissa Grigsby (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East) scored the last basket of the half at 1:37, sending the visitors into intermission with a 29-25 lead.
The Garnet owned a 24-17 edge on the backboards in the first hall with Berk shooting 7-for-9 in the first half to lead all scorers with 14 points. Kostanzer posted 11 points and three assists for Ursinus.
Swartmore hung tight at the start of the second half, taking a 41-40 lead at 7:22 on a lay-up by Stockbower.
A late 12-2 run by Ursinus allowed the Bears to take control of the game. A pair of free throws by Konstanzer at the four-minute mark put the home team ahead 53-43.
Swarthmore sophomore captain Pamela Costello (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) finished off an old-fashioned three-point play to get the Garnet with 53-46 at 3:41. Costello finished with nine points and four assists.
The Bears, shooting a paltry 55% from the line (11-of-20) on the afternoon, made the shots when they counted, closing out the victory by hitting five-of-six.
The Garnet continue its current three-game road trip with a 6:00 p.m. Centennial contest at Haverford this Wednesday, January 30.
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