Calling All Garnet Fans: Summer Is Having A Block Party
SWARTHMORE, Pa -- Swarthmore sophomore Summer Miller-Walfish blocked a school-record 10 shots in a 71-56 Centennial Conference win over Dickinson Saturday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.
All five Garnet starters scored in the double-digits and the team dominated the backboards, posting a 54-28 advantage (its largest of the season) as the Swarthmore women defeated the Red Devils for the first time in the last 11 meetings (the last Garnet win came in 63-44 decision at Tarble Pavilion). Swarthmore improves to an overall record of 6-6 and 3-2 in the Conference. Dickinson fell to 5-4 on the season, 3-2 in the Centennial.
Miller-Walfish (San Jose, N.M. / West Las Vegas) finished the afternoon just one rebound shy of a triple-double, collecting 12 points and nine rebounds. The 10 blocks ties the Centennial Conference record, held by three other women and most recently established in January 2007 by Haverford's Brittany Lattisaw. In just her second year in garnet and white, Miller-Walfish has recorded 81 blocked shots which puts her second on the all-time career list for the women’s program.
Garnet forward Kathryn Stockbower ’11 (Ft. Washington, Pa. / Upper Dublin) also had a good game, pushing her double-double streak to six in a row with game-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (21). Senior guard Melissa Grigsby (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East) added 13 points and dished out five assists. Grigsby entered the career all-time top ten list marking her 157th assist. Despite battling foul trouble all game, guard Ceylan Bodur ’11 (Istanbul, Turkey / Roberts College) had a career-high seven assists and gave the Garnet 15 points. Also scoring in the double digits was Pamela Costello ’10 (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) with 11 points, while also handing out four helpers.
Sophomore guard Brook Muller led the Red Devils with a game-high 16 points and forced four Garnet turnovers. Sophomore Carole Dempsey and senior Laura Lyons combined for 23 points. Sophomore guard Alesha Sisco had a game-high five steals for the Red Devils and added six points.
It was all Swarthmore at the start with Miller-Walfish capping a 7-0 opening run with a turn-around jumper in the lane at 15:57. A Muller elbow jumper put the Red Devils on the board for the first time at 14:51.
Dickinson broke out its trademark full-court defense five minutes into the game and the score quickly evened up. An 8-2 Red Devils’ run found the visitors ahead for the first time, 12-11, following a Sisco jumper at 9:37 left in the half.
Following a field goal from behind the arc by Lyons, assisted by sophomore guard Annie O’Donnell, the Red Devils matched their highest lead of the half, 23-19, with 3:40 showing on the scoreboard.
Stockbower (pictured right) sparkled in the first half, posting 11 points and 12 rebounds, and got the Garnet within one, 23-22, with an old-fashioned three-point play at 3:15.
Muller led the Red Devils with nine points as the visitors held a 29-26 lead at intermission. The Dickinson defense was a key factor in their first half success forcing 19 Swarthmore turnovers while scoring 15 points off those turnovers.
Swarthmore came out firing in the second half, getting behind the Dickinson pressure for easy lay-ups. A 14-5 run was fueled by the play-making efforts of Bodur who handed out four assists in a four –minute span. Her last pass found Grigsby for a triple and a 40-34 lead. Swarthmore’s advantage would grow to be as large as ten (46-36) at 13:02.
The game closed with Costello hitting two free throws as a part of a 12-19 (63.2%) team effort for the Garnet on the day from the line.
The Garnet are in the thick of the Centennial standings, sitting in a five-team tie for third place. Swarthmore completes its home-and-home with Conference-foe McDaniel on Tuesday evening in Tarble Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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