Athletics News

GAME BOX SCORE

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Swarthmore put up 49 points in the second half, rallying from  down 18 with 14 minutes to play to pull within one in the final minute, but the Ursinus Bears held on for a 77-73 home win in Centennial Conference action Saturday afternoon.

The score was 5-0 Ursinus after the first minute but Swarthmore went on a 15-6 run to take their largest lead of the game (15-11) with 12:49 remaining in the first half.  Fast-starting junior forward Steve Wolf had eight points during the run, most of them coming on a pair of trifectas.  The game remained close through most of the half, and it was 26-24, Ursinus after Garnet freshman Matt Turner hit a fast-break layup with 4:11 left in the period.

That would prove to be the Garnet's last field goal of the half, though, and the Bears extended their lead to 35-24 at the break.  John Noonan hit a three with 34 seconds remaining to give the Bears their first double-digit lead of the afternoon.

The Bear defense continued to keep the Garnet under wraps early in the second half and the lead was up to 17, 44-27, with 17:10 left in the game.  Junior guard Matt Kurman keyed the Garnet offensive revival with a pair of threes just 54 seconds apart.  Ursinus' offense was clicking as well, though, and built the lead up to 18 at 55-37 with 13:57 to play.

Swarthmore needed stops to get back in the game and got them, holding the Bears to one field goal over a 5:55 span.  The bench provided a spark, as freshman Matt Allen and senior Dillon McGrew nailed consecutive treys to cut the lead to 12, and junior center Ian McCormick got the lead back into single digits with a lay-up with 9:21 to go.

The long, slow climb continued, and a Wolf free throw with 3:59 left made it a one-possession game at 63-60.  Bear forward Will Furey immediately responded from beyond the arc and the hosts continued to hold on; it was 72-67 with 49 seconds left.  But Swarthmore was not done.  Kurman hit a pair of free throws, and after Noonan missed a pair from the stripe, and with 25 ticks on the clock, Allen hit a layup, cutting the lead to 72-71.

But Ursinus got a big play when it needed it - Nick Shattuck converted a fast break layup off of a Furey lead just one second later.  Kurman missed a lay-up for Swarthmore on the other end, and a pair of Matt Fabian free throws with 13 seconds left iced the game.

Shattuck, the league's second-leading scorer, put in a game-high 26 while Furey added 20 points.  Fabian grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds for the Bears (5-1 overall, 3-1 CC).

McCormick led the Garnet with 18 points and 10 boards, garnering his second double-double of the year.  Wolf (13) and Kurman (12) also scored in double figures.

Swarthmore forced 23 Bear turnovers and took 18 more shots from the field than the hosts, but shot just 33.3% (26-78) on the game.

The Garnet (2-6, 1-3 CC) will take a nearly three-week break for finals and the holidays before traveling to Southwestern University for their Classic on Friday, December 29th.  Swarthmore will face the host Pirates on Dec. 29 at 8:00 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall sophomore guard Sarah Meisenberg scored a career-high 31 points and classmate Amanda Miceli added 19 points as the Diplomats (3-4 overall, 2-2 CC) shot almost 60% from the field on the way to a 85-49 Centennial victory over hometown Swarthmore Saturday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.

Swarthmore junior center Karen Berk led the Garnet (3-6 overall, 0-4 CC) with 20 points and 11 rebounds while senior Jess Fuhr added 10 points and two blocks.  Berk blocked a Miceli jumper with 1:24 left in the first half to set a new school record for career blocks with 75, breaking the previous record of 74 held by Jen Truscott '88. Berk has now accumulated 843 career points, placing her eighth all-time at Swarthmore - the junior captain also picked up her 21st career double-double on Saturday and Centennial-leading sixth of the season.

It was all Meisenberg in the first half for the Diplomats - the sophomore guard picked up five steals and shot 8-of-11 for 18 points, including six straight to fuel a 15-6 F&M run in the middle of the half.  Meisenberg picked up a defensive rebound on consecutive possessions and raced the length of the floor for lay-ups; she hit a 15-foot jumper on the next possession to put the Diplomats on top, 16-12 at 10:18. 

Meisenberg continued to pour it on, sinking a three-pointer from the top of the key at 6:59 as F&M pushed its lead to 24-16.  The Diplomats took its largest lead of the half, 33-18 when F&M guard Jessica Bishop finished off a drive to the hoop at the two-minute mark.  The Garnet got four free throws from Berk and Fuhr to cut the lead to 33-22 but Meisenberg kissed a runner of the glass with five second remaining to send F&M into halftime with a 35-22 lead.

The Diplomats shot 50% from the field and forced 13 Swarthmore turnovers in the first half while the Garnet held a slight edge on the backboards, 18-13.

Berk led the Garnet with eight points and six rebounds while Fuhr added seven points.

F&M busted out in the second half, scoring the first nine points to take a 44-23 lead following a free throw by Miriam Marcis at 16:47.  Miceli scored eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers, to push F&M ahead 64-33 with 8:32 remaining.  The Diplomats' got as large as 37 points (78-41 at 3:22) as F&M won for just the second time in the last six meetings in Tarble Pavilion.

The Diplomats shot a white-hot 59.6 % from the field, including 7-for-10 from three-point land, and collected 13 steals.  Swarthmore held a slight 32-31 edge in rebounds, including 12-4 on the offensive glass.

Meisenberg ended the afternoon 13-of-17 with seven assists, six rebounds, and five steals. Her 31 points are the most in the Centennial this season and are the most by a Diplomat since Dana Johns put in 38 vs. McDaniel on Feb. 14, 2006.   Miceli chipped in seven rebounds and four assists while forwards Brittany Braxton and Marcis added 11 points apiece.

The 85 points is the most scored by a women's team in Tarble since the Garnet put up 92 on Randolph-Macon on Nov. 17, 2000.

Swarthmore returns to cozy Tarble Pavilion this Tuesday, Dec. 12, welcoming Centennial rival Bryn Mawr for a 6:00 p.m. game - the final game of the first semester for the Garnet.

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Muhlenberg senior forward Jimmie Riggins hit two three-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final 1:15, helping the Mules earn a 73-69 Centennial victory over the Garnet in Tarble Pavilion Wednesday night.

The score was tied at 67-67 with 1:13 to play when Riggins hit from deep on the right wing.  Swarthmore junior forward Steve Wolf nailed a jumper at the other end to pull Swarthmore within one at 70-69, but after a Brandon Mefford offensive rebound extended the ensuing Mule possession, Riggins hit again with four seconds remaining to ice the game.

Wolf got off to a fast start even by his standards, hitting his first nine shots and scoring 19 points in the first 11:47 of the game.  The Mules kept pace through the first nine minutes, helped by a pair of Chris Huber treys, but then the Garnet forwards took over the game.  Wolf and freshman standout Matt Turner hit both the boards and their shots, leading the Garnet on a 13-2 run over four minutes, giving them a 29-18 lead. 

Muhlenberg (3-3 overall, 2-1 CC) went on a run of its own late in the half, keyed by an old-fashioned three-point play by Mike Bernadini with 5:38 remaining.  Garnet freshman sharpshooter Matt Allen responded with a trey one minute later, pushing the lead back to 10, but Muhlenberg scored eight of the final 10 points in the half to pull within five points, 39-34.

Swarthmore hit the glass hard during the period, with seven players getting in on the action bringing down a total of 15 defensive rebounds--Muhlenberg only managed one offensive rebound in the half.

The Mules clamped down on Wolf early in the second half and, with the help of a renewed effort on the offensive glass, clawed their way back into the game.  Tom Scott's jumper pulled Muhlenberg even at 44-44 with 15:53 remaining, and a pair of Scott free throws put the Mules in front at 48-46 just over a minute later.  Swarthmore stayed cold on the offensive end as the Mules built their lead as large as five, 55-50 with 10:08 to play.  The Mules nursed the small lead until the 5:30 mark, when Allen hit from deep off of a Matt Kurman '08 feed, putting Swarthmore up by two.  Kurman hit a jumper of his own on the next Garnet possession, giving the hosts a four-point lead.  But the Mules scored on consecutive possessions, and the game was tied once again.

Another Kurman jumper tied the game for the 10th time, 67-67 with 1:49 to play before Riggins' heroics.

Wolf finished the evening with a season-high 27 points on 13-19 shooting from the field.  The junior also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, six of them offensive.  Wolf now has three double-doubles on the season, leading the team in points (15.7 per game).

Allen finished with 13 points off the bench and Kurman added 10.  Junior center Ian McCormick sat most of the first half with two fouls but still finished with 10 boards.

Scott and Justin Fields, who showed an impressive ability to finish in the paint, led the Mules with 18 points each.  Riggins finished with 15 and tied Fields for the team lead with nine rebounds.

The Garnet (2-5, 1-2 CC) will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they travel to defending conference champion Ursinus for a 2:00 p.m. contest.

GAME BOX SCORE

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Swarthmore junior center Karen Berk (above, right) had a game-high 21 points and tied the school block record as the Garnet (3-5 overall, 0-3 CC) fell to the defending Centennial Conference Champion Muhlenberg Mules 74-47 in Memorial Hall Tuesday evening.

Muhlenberg (6-0 overall, 3-0 CC) got off to a blistering start, clipping off a 16-0 run by making four straight three-pointers to open the game.  Swarthmore freshman Pamela Costello sank one of her two three-pointers on the evening at 16:50 to end the drought.  The Mules pushed the lead to as large as 20 points in the first half, shooting 52.6% from the field on their way to a 47-29 lead at intermission.

Muhlenberg could do little about Berk, who shot 7-of-10 from the field for 15 first-half points.  The Swarthmore junior ended the evening 10-for-14 from the floor while grabbing seven rebounds with two blocks.  The pair of swats gives Berk 74 for her career, tying her with Jen Truscott '88 for the career record at Swarthmore and putting her in the top-25 all-time in the Centennial Conference.  Her 2.80 blocks per game average (22 total) this season currently leads the Centennial.

The Mules' pressure in the second half led to 14 Swarthmore turnovers and Muhlenberg held a 42-30 advantage on the backboards to remain unblemished this season.

Garnet freshman Amber Wantman and Costello chipped in six points apiece while senior Jess Fuhr tied Berk for team-high with seven boards.

Swarthmore returns to cozy Tarble Pavilion this Saturday, Dec. 9, welcoming Centennial rival Franklin & Marshall for a 2:00 p.m. game.

OFFICIAL SEVEN SISTERS CHAMPIONSHIP RELEASE

GAME BOX SCORE

HAVERFORD, Pa. - All-Tournament selection Joeanna Silvey had a game-high 20 points as Mount Holyoke (6-1) defeated Swarthmore 71-50 to win its fourth straight Seven Sisters Championship in Gooding Arena Sunday afternoon.

Garnet sophomore guard Melissa Grigsby led Swarthmore (3-4) with 13 points while All-Tournament selection Karen Berk '08 added 11 points.

Holyoke freshman post Jessica Olson contributed 15 points and a tournament-high 19 rebounds while Lions senior guard Angela Astuccio scored nine points.  Astuccio was named Tournament MVP after  Silver contributed a strong all around performance with eight steals, seven assists, and seven rebounds in 36 minutes of action.

Mount Holyoke led the entire way, opening a 7-3 advantage after Silvey converted a steal and fast-break layup at 16:25. Grigsby followed with her second jumper of the afternoon at 14:35 to cut it to 7-5.  The Lions got a three-pointer from Silvey after an offensive rebound at 13:44 forcing Swarthmore to take its first time-out of the game.  The MHC senior found Astuccio cutting down the lane for a 16-5 lead.  Berk ended the run with a pair of free throws at 12:10 and Grigsby brought Swarthmore within 18-10 at 10:07 by nailing a three-pointer from the left wing.

The Mount Holyoke lead grew to as much as nineteen (39-20) with 1:20 left in the half - Swarthmore freshman guard Lisa Schumacher sank fade-away jumper at the buzzer to make the halftime score 40-24. 

The Lions were in control the entire half, hitting 45.5% from the field, forcing 11 Swarthmore turnovers while holding a 25-14 lead on the boards.

Silvey led all scorers at the intermission with 11 points to go along with four assists and four steals - Olson chipped eight points and 10 rebounds.  Grigsby led the Garnet with nine points while Berk added seven points.

The Lions pushed the lead to 46-26 at the start of the half after freshman Erin Cain sank a three-pointer from the right corner at 15:19.

Grigsby brought the Garnet within 53-38 at 11:11 with a long jumper off a ball screen from Fuhr.  The Lions came back with a 12-7 run, building a 65-45 lead when Berk fouled out at the 5:24 mark.

Holyoke shot 42% for the game and out-rebounded Swarthmore 45-29.

The Garnet resume Centennial Conference action on Tues., Dec. 5 in Allentown, Pa., facing defending Centennial Champion Muhlenberg at 7:00 p.m.

COMPLETE RESULTS

LANCASTER, Pa. - The Swarthmore swim teams continued its strong 2006-07 season at the annual Franklin & Marshall Invitational this past weekend.  The Garnet men tallied 373 team points to finish fourth out of nine schools while the women put together 392 points to take fifth place out of 11 teams.

The Swarthmore men (4-1 overall, 3-0 CC) got off to a strong start, claiming the bronze in the 200 freestyle relay -Douglas Gilchrist-Scott '09, Jonathan Augat '07, Andrew Koczo '07, and Jason Horwitz '07 swam the tenth-fastest time in school history (1:30.13) to finish a heart-beat behind Rowan (1:29.54) and Kutztown (1:29.97).  The top Garnet 200 (Gilchrist-Scott, Koczo, Brian Roth '09, Augat) and 400 medley relay teams (Gilchrist-Scott, Koczo, Roth, Howitz) also put in a strong performances, both finishing fourth with a time of 3:43.25 and 1:40.77, respectively.  The 400 free relay squad (Gilchrist-Scott, Andrew Frampton '08, Michael Ahn '10, Horwitz) picked up a fourth-place finish on the final day, swimming a time of 3:19.52, just missing out on the top-ten all-time at Swarthmore.  The 800 relay team (Stephen Shymon '09, Ahn, Frampton, Horwitz) also swam fourth at the Invite, hitting the wall at 7:26.88.

Shymon rolled to third in the 400 IM, posting a top-ten time of 4:22.38.  The 400 IM saw five Swarthmore swimmers place in the top fifteen, earning the team 40 points.  Shymon later picked up a fourth-place finish in the 1650 freestyle, hitting the top-ten at Swarthmore with a time of 17:10.61In the 100 breaststroke, Koczo took fourth in (1:02.71) and Ahn was eighth (1:03.47).  Gilchrist-Scott posted a top-ten time with a seventh-place finish in the 100 backstroke (56.89)

On the women's side, frosh standout Anne Miller out-touched Kutztown's Staci McGinty to take third place in the 500 freestyle (5:21.61) on the first day.  Senior Sarah Cotcamp took bronze in the 50 freestyle (25.34) and later swam a strong fifth in the 100 free (55.85). 

The 100 butterfly event turned into a race between two Garnet freshmen - Miller (59.37) just barely beat out Osborn (59.80), putting in the second-fastest time in school history (Osborn's time was the fifth-fastest).  Allie Jordan '09 (seventh-1:02.00), Jennie Lewis '08 (ninth-1:02.55), and Veronica Medina '07 (17th - 1:04.72) all helped Swarthmore tally 59 points in the event.   Osborn also picked up the silver in the 200 butterfly, swimming the third-fastest time in school history (2:11.45).  Freshman Julia Wrobel picked up 15 points with a fourth-place effort in the 200 freestyle (2:01.41) while senior Janice Yeo just missed a top-ten time after finishing sixth in the 100 breakstroke (1:11.81).

Senior Michele Hom took the silver in the 200 breaststroke, putting up a top-ten time of 2:33.80 while Miller swam the sixth-fastest 1650 freestyle in school history, finishing third with a time of 18:21.97.

The Garnet travel to South Jersey this coming Saturday, Dec. 9 to face F&M Invite champion Rowan University at 2:00 p.m.

F&M INVITATIONAL TEAM RESULTS

Women
Rowan  -                           672.5
F&M  -                               451
Kutztown  -                       437
Washington & Lee -     394
Swarthmore -                  392
Marymount -                    295
St. Mary's (MD) -            269
Widener  -                        188.5
McDaniel  -                      101
Juniata  -                           89
Elizabethtown -               88

Men
Rowan  -                         833
Kutztown  -                      561
F&M  -                              390.5
Swarthmore -                 373
Widener  -                       356
Marymount -                   259.5
McDaniel  -                     224
Elizabethtown -              155
St. Mary's (MD) -           115 

BRYN MAWR, Pa. - The Swarthmore badminton team opened up the 2006-07 season by winning the Collegiate Trophy at the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Juniors Tournament held in Schwarz Gymnasium on the campus of Bryn Mawr College.

The Garnet dominated the tournament, winning the both singles' draws and doubles' draws while collecting 33 total team points to claim the overall title.  Haverford was second with 24 points, followed by Bryn Mawr and Drexel (22 points apiece) and George Washington (six points).

The main singles draw saw three Swarthmore women (Patricia Kelly '08, Candice Cherk '07, and Kim Kramer '10) make the semi-finals.  In an all-Garnet final, Kramer defeated Cherk for the singles' title.  Swarthmore sophomore Karma Lama claimed the title in the B draw of the singles' competition.

Kramer and Cherk rolled through four teams, including a 21-9, 21-7 drubbing in the finals, to win the main draw in the doubles event.  Kelly and Lama defeated teammates Mu Yang '07 and Heather Hightower '09 to claim victory in the B draw of the doubles competition.

The Garnet return to competition on January 30 with a contest at Bryn Athyn. 

GAME BOX SCORE

HAVERFORD, Pa. - Swarthmore advanced to its fourth consecutive Seven Sisters Championship game, defeating Smith (MA) 51-45 in overtime in semifinal action at Gooding Arena Saturday afternoon. 

For the fourth straight year Garnet (3-3 overall) will face defending champion Mount Holyoke (66-47 winners over Vassar) in the championship; tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3.

Garnet junior Karen Berk kept her double-double streak alive - the center scored a tournament-high 21 points with 11 rebounds for her ninth consecutive double-double (dating back to Feb. 14, 2006 at Washington).

Rosie Baldwin stole the ball and converted the fast-break lay-up at 6:55 in the first half to give Smith (1-5) its largest lead of the afternoon, 17-11.  Swarthmore ran off the final eight points of the first half to assume a 25-22 lead into the intermission.  Berk led all scorers with 12 points while Grigsby added seven points.  Pioneers freshman Berit Schelde kept the Pioneers close with seven points and six rebounds.

The Garnet opened up a six-point lead when captain Jess Fuhr '07 sank a three-pointer and another jumper at 16:36 for a 30-24 Swat advantage.  The Pioneers scored on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 30-28, but Berk finished off another move in the paint to get back to a four-point lead.

The two teams went without scoring for almost four minutes until Smith's Lisa Marie Vuono scored back-to-back baskets to bring the Pioneers within two points at 7:35.  Swarthmore took a time-out and drew up a play for Berk - the junior scored the goal, got fouled, and sank the free throw at 6:41 to put the Garnet up 37-32.   The resilient Pioneers got within one point after two free throws by Schelde at 5:29, but Fuhr swished her second three-pointer a minute later to put Swarthmore up 40-36.

After another three minutes of back-and-forth action, Schelde made a lay-up to cut the lead to two and then Helena Charron sank a jumper with 39 seconds remaining to tie the game at 40-40.  The score remained that way as the teams headed to overtime.

Garnet sophomore guard Melissa Grigsby opened up the extra session with her first three-pointer of the game with 3:22 remaining, but the Pioneers fought back to take the lead with consecutive buckets.  Charron finished a feed from Jessica Paul at 1:52 to give Smith its first lead, 44-43 since the middle of the first half.

Swarthmore immediately re-assumed the lead when freshman guard Lisa Schumacher scored her basket of the afternoon with 1:29 left.  Vuono made one of two from the line to tie the game at 45-45 and Berk put the Garnet in the driver's seat with a lay-up with 39 seconds left.  Freshman Amber Wantman rebounded a missed Paull jumper and then sank two free throws to put Swarthmore up by four with 20 ticks remaining.  Wantman corralled a final Smith three-pointer and iced the contest by making two more from the charity stripe with one second left.

Fuhr finished with 11 points for Swarthmore while Grigsby added ten points, three assists and two steals.  Charron led the charge for the Pioneers with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Schelde added her own double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists.

It was the first overtime game for the Garnet under second-year head coach Renee DeVarney and, ironically, the first time Swarthmore has hit extra time since a 56-53 win over Smith on Dec. 6, 2002 in the first round of the Seven Sisters Championship at Wellesley College.

Mount Holyoke (5-1) has defeated Swarthmore in each of the last four Seven Sisters Championships - the last three times coming in the title game.  The Lions won 54-49 at Vassar in 2003, 50-44 at Bryn Mawr in 2004, and 63-57 last season at Smith.  The last Swarthmore win over Mount Holyoke (74-46) came in the first round of the 2001 Seven Sisters Championship during the Garnet run to the championship in Tarble Pavilion.

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore junior center Ian McCormick (above) scored 10 points in the final nine minutes, leading the streaking Garnet past visiting Franklin & Marshall 73-64.

McCormick was dominant down the stretch, making four of five shots from the field, controlling the glass (four rebounds) and contributing on defense with two blocks and two steals after re-entering the game with 8:59 to go.  The junior was saddled with foul trouble for much of the afternoon, seeing only five minutes of action to that point.

Garnet junior forward Steve Wolf kept his team in the game while both teams got off to sluggish starts.  Wolf made his first three shots from the floor and first five from the line while scoring the team's first 11 points.  Freshman Matt Turner, who was active on both ends in his first start of the season, hit a 15-footer with 10:03 to play in the first half for the Garnet's first non-Wolf points of the afternoon, making the score 15-13 in favor of the Dips.

F&M would hold their narrow edge into the halftime, never leading by more than five.  Diplomats' star forward Derek Hines missed six of his first eight shots but finished the half with a flourish, scoring seven points in the final 2:31 including a three-pointer just before the buzzer extending the Dip lead to 28-23.  Hines went into the break with team-high totals of 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Dips took advantage of McCormick's absence, grabbing 10 offensive boards before the break, leading to eight second-chance points.  Swarthmore junior guard Matt Kurman, who hit a pair of triples, and Turner had six points each at the half.

Swarthmore wasted no time in evening the score.  Turner hit from beyond the arc and Wolf made a hook shot within a minute's time, forcing a Dip timeout.  A minute later, a McCormick put-back lay-up gave the hosts their first lead in over 14 minutes.  The lead was short-lived, though, as Hines hit on two straight possessions and Mitch Rhyner put the Dips back on top with a three-pointer with 16:09 left.  F&M would extend the lead to five at 41-36 with 13:25 left but then went without a field goal for 8:38.  Senior guard Dillon McGrew put the Garnet back in front at 43-41 with a trifecta with 10:53 remaining.

Two free throws each by Hines and Evan Hamme put the Dips back in front, but McCormick's emergence sparked the Garnet's biggest run of the game.  Kurman scored six straight points to make the score 49-45 and Swarthmore would wind up scoring 13 straight while holding the Dips scoreless for 4:18.

F&M made things interesting down the stretch by hitting three triples in a 27-second span, cutting the Garnet lead to 67-60 lead with 1:35 to play, but Swarthmore was clutch from the line in crunch time.  Freshman guard Matt Allen went 4-4 and the squad as a whole went 8-10 in the final two minutes.

Kurman finished 4-7 from beyond the arc on his way to a team- and season-high 20 points, equaling a career-high set exactly one year ago vs. Wisconsin Lutheran in St. Louis, MO.  Wolf finished the game with 17 points and McCormick added 14.  Turner grabbed four offensive rebounds on his way to a team-high total of six boards.  Senior captain Chris Casey dished out a team-high five assists; Allen added four dimes.

Hines finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, using a right-handed hook shot to great effect all afternoon long.  Logan Outerbridge dished out eight assists for F&M (2-4, 1-1 CC).

The Garnet (2-4, 1-1 CC) will look to make another statement win on Wednesday when the Muhlenberg Mules come to town for a 7:00 p.m. Centennial contest.

GAME BOX SCORE

HAVERFORD, Pa. - Swarthmore's frontcourt duo of Karen Berk '08 and Pamela Costello '10 (above) combined for 33 points and 30 rebounds to lead the Garnet to a 53-41 victory over St. Joseph's (CT) in first round action at the annual Seven Sisters Tournament in the Gooding Arena on Friday night.

The Garnet (2-3) advance to the second round and will face Smith (MA) College on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4:00 p.m.  The Pioneers defeated host Haverford 49-47 in earlier action. St. Joseph's will face Haverford tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.

Junior forward Kristen Traband got the Garnet women rolling with a lay-up in traffic at 13:01 to make the score 8-5 Swarthmore.  The Blue Jays answered with a fast-break jumper by guard Araya Koonce at 12:45, cutting the Garnet lead to one.  Swarthmore continued to the push the ball in transition, looking for open holes in the St. Joe's zone.  Garnet senior wing Jess Fuhr ran to an open spot on the left wing and buried a triple at 9:02 to extend Swarthmore's lead to 15-10.  Swarthmore maintained the five-point advantage into halftime, getting a pair of free throws each from freshman forward Pamela Costello and Fuhr. 

The Garnet dominated on the glass in the first half (30-22), grabbing nine boards on the offensive end; Costello and Berk led all scorers with six points each. 

Swarthmore opened the second half with a flourish - Costello nailed a three-pointer and then hit Berk inside for an easy bucket and a 28-18 lead at 18:10.  Berk made a pair of free throws at 10:59 to give the Garnet their largest lead of the night, 39-26. 

The Blue Jays generated much of their offense from offensive rebounds, collecting 12 second-chance opportunities in the second half.  St. Joseph's Helena Charron trailed on a Blue Jays fast-break and picked up an easy bucket off an offensive rebound to cut Swarthmore's lead to 44-34.  The usual suspects responded for Swarthmore - Costello pumped in another triple and Berk followed up with a 15-foot jumper at 4:15 to push the Garnet lead back to 49-36 with 4:15 to play.  Swarthmore effectively broke St. Joseph's press down the stretch to wrap up their second win of the young season.

Berk put up her fifth double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 17 points and 19 rebounds while contributing four blocks and two steals.  Costello had her best game to date, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field for a career-high 16 points to go along with 11 boards.  It is the first double-double of her brief college career.  Swarthmore sophomore Melissa Grigsby posted an impressive all-around effort with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 39 minutes.

The Blue Jays (2-3) were led by Sam Krupa's 11 points while Koonce finished with nine points and five assists.  Kerri Hallberg was tops on SJC with 11 rebounds.