Stockbower Rebounds Team for Win
HAVERFORD, Pa. -- The Swarthmore women's basketball team snapped an eight-game losing streak, picking up a 57-56 nail-biting Conference win over long-time rival Haverford on Wednesday night in the Gooding Arena.
Garnet freshman Kathryn Stockbower (Ft. Washington / Upper Dublin) had a team-high 17 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds while Laura Popvics ‘08 (Gorham, Main / Gorham) scored 12 points and dished out four assists. Haverford junior Brittany Lattisaw (Washington, D.C. / Mercersburg Academy) scored a game-high 21 points while posting a team-high 15 rebounds and classmate Kathleen Abels (white Plains, N.Y. / Loyola) picked up 12 points.
Popovics reached the career 100 three-pointer mark at 15:06; her four threes on the night effort push her total to 102. The senior guard currently ranks fourth in the Conference in three-pointers made, averaging 1.56 per game.
The Garnet chipped away at the Fords’ nine-point lead to end the half with a 31-25 score in favor of the home team.
Garnet captain Pam Costello ’10 (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) scored five points to aid Swarthmore’s 8-2 run bringing the score to 35-33 at 15:26. Swarthmore took their first lead of the half following a jumper by Stockbower. They continued their offensive surge bringing the lead to eight, 46-38, with 9:09 left in the half.
The final five minutes of the game saw lots of back and forth offensive action from both teams. With 58 seconds left in the game, Haverford senior Liz Theibert’s (Birmingham, Ala. / Indian Springs) good lay-up gave them a one-point lead.
Stockbower ran up the court and gave the visiting team one last lay-up with 43 seconds left.
Haverford tried to answer with a pair of jumpers, but they missed their mark and the buzzer went off, making the final score 57-56 in favor of the Garnet.
Stockbower’s 21 rebounds are the third highest in school history, the record-holder is Nancy Rosenbaum ’96 who posted 23 rebounds on December 5, 1992 in a non-conference game against Vassar.
The Centennial Conference leading-blocker Summer Miller-Walfish ’11 (San Jose, N.M. / Las Vegas West), who averages 2.06 blocks per game, swatted three Haverford shots.
Swarthmore basketball continues their conference schedule as the team travels to Franklin & Marshall on Sat., Feb. 2 for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.
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