The 20th-ranked Gettysburg College (16-1, 12-0 CC) women’s basketball team erased a four-point deficit midway through the third quarter and netted a total 23 from the free throw line to grind out a 58-49 Centennial Conference decision at Muhlenberg College (7-9, 5-6 CC) to register its 16th win in a row.
Top Performers – Gettysburg
– Carly Rice ’22 (Pennington, N.J./The Pennington School) – 16 points, 3 rebounds
– Ashley Gehrin ’20 (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) – 13 points, 9-of-10 FT, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
– Mackenzie Tinner ’22 (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock High School North) – 10 points, 4-of-6 FG, 7 rebounds
– Emma Hahner ’20 (Forest Hill, Md./C. Milton Wright) – 8 rebounds
Top Performers – Muhlenberg
– Margaux Eripret – 13 points, 3 rebounds
– Mikaela McGarvey – 12 points, 5 rebounds
How It Happened…
- First Quarter
- The first frame started in a low scoring affair for both teams as the Bullets led 6-5 midway through. The Mules tied the game at 10-all by netting five straight with under 2:04 to go. Gettysburg closed the frame on a 6-1 run, which was capped by a trey from Rice to head into the second quarter up 16-11.
- Second Quarter
- After finishing the first frame with a three-pointer, Rice opened the second with another trey that helped the Bullets maintain a 24-18 lead through the first four minutes. After that, the Bullets were unable to get any offensive flow as the Mules defense forced seven turnovers and finished the first half on a 10-2 run. Eight of the 17 points scored by Muhlenberg came from the free throw line.
- Third Quarter
- In a back-and-forth third quarter that resulted in four ties and one lead change, the hosts took a four-point edge at the 7:29 marker. The Bullets bounced back and concluded the frame on a high note as Rice drained back-to-back three’s in the last 1:06 to up Gettysburg back on top, 45-40. The Bullets out-scored the Mules 19-12 with the bench scoring 12 of those points.
- Fourth Quarter
- After Tara Szawaluk made a pair from the free throw line for Muhlenberg, Gettysburg’s tallied five in a row with its advantage growing to eight off a lay-up from Tinner and a trey by sophomore Tori Yantsos (Rockville, Md./Holy Child) with under six remaining. For the first time all game, the Bullets held a double-digit lead when Gehrin connected on a free throw with 2:31 left. The Mules’ last field goal came from Amanda Gorski with 1:18 on the clock as Gettysburg’s defense did not allow Muhlenberg to score again. Out of the 22 combined points scored in the final quarter, 12 came from the charity stripe.
By the Numbers
- Gettysburg climbed the national rankings this week as they are No. 20 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Associations (WBCA) and No. 22 in the D3hoops.com poll.
- Since falling to then-ranked No. 10 Messiah College in the season opener, the Bullets have won the last 16. The victory today ties the most recent winning streak done by the 2017-18 squad that captured 16 in a row. The 1984-85 team, who won 17 straight, holds the longest streak. During that season, they appeared in the NCAA tournament.
- Gettysburg holds sole possession of first place in the conference standings. Haverford College is right behind with a 10-1 CC record followed by Johns Hopkins University in third with a 7-4 league mark.
- Both Gettysburg and Muhlenberg shot below 31 percent from the field, while both teams made five three-pointers.
- The Bullets attempted and made the most free throws in a game this season, going 23-of-29 (79.3 percent).
- The Mules made 18-of-25 (72 percent) from the charity stripe.
- Gettysburg won the rebounding battle, 46-36.
- In three out of the last four games, Hahner has pulled down at least seven or more rebounds.
- Gehrin needs 65 more points to crack the top 10-scoring list in Gettysburg women’s basketball history.
Where the Series Stands Now
Muhlenberg holds a 31-26 edge in the all-time series that started back during the 1961-62 season. The series has been incredibly close in recent years as in the last ten meetings, Gettysburg’s seven victories have come by 11 points or less.
Next Up
Gettysburg travels to Lancaster, Pa. to face Franklin & Marshall College on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m.
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.