Mules Oust Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Muhlenberg women's basketball continued their push to the postseason, downing Swarthmore 77-57 Wednesday night on a rainy night at Tarble Pavilion.
The Mules improve to 17-5 overall and 12-3 in the Centennial Conference, while the Garnet fall to 6-15 overall and 3-12 in the Centennial Conference.
The Garnet were led by sophomore captain Pamela Costello (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) who tallied a season-high 16 points while also collecting five rebounds and three assists. Kathryn Stockbower ’11 (Fort Washington, Pa. / Upper Dublin) continued her dominance in the paint, earning her conference-leading 18th double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive). Senior captain Karen Berk (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) chipped in 11 points and seven boards to contribute to the Garnet attack.
Stockbower now has 290 rebounds on the season, which qualifies her for third most on the Centennial Conference freshman list. The record is held by Swarthmore alum Heather Kile ’02, who grabbed 355 caroms during the 1998-99 season.
The game was fairly tight to begin, with the Garnet taking an early 9-5 lead after a three-pointer by Laura Popovics ’08 (Gorham, Maine / Gorham) at 16:30. This would not last long as the Mules took the lead for good with a layup from McSherry at 14:57 to put them up 11-9. The lead augmented to 15 several times before halftime with the Mules assisting on 12 of their 15 made field goals.
Muhlenberg continued its unyielding play in the second half, shuffling its lineup frequently using 15 players throughout the game. The Mules accumulated 32 points off the bench compared to the Garnet’s 11.
The Mules displayed a well-rounded attack led by freshman Sheila Cook (Rockville Centre, N.Y. / Kellenberg Memorial), who recorded a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 10 boards. Center Erin McSherry ’09 (Montclair, N.J. / Montclair) showed strong play in the post, racking up 15 points and nine rebounds. She also had a game-high three blocks.
Garnet freshman Summer Miller-Walfish (San Jose, N.M. / West Las Vegas) continued her block party, staying atop the conference in rejections and tying the school record in the process. Miller-Walfish (picture right) added two swats Wednesday bringing her up to 44 for the season matching Berk’s mark from 2006-07.
The Garnet will hit the road looking to avenge a January 17th loss to Gettysburg in their next contest, this Saturday February 16. Tip-off at the Bream Gymnasium is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Click here for the full box score.