GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior Carly Rice (Pennington, N.J./Pennington School) scored 21 points and freshman Mackenzie Szlosek (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) put up 11 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists as 25th-ranked Gettysburg College bolted past SUNY Morrisville in the second half for a 77-44 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship inside Bream Gym Friday night.

Gettysburg's Top Performers

• Carly Rice '22: 21 Points, 4 Rebounds, 5-12 3FG
• Mackenzie Szlosek '25: 11 Points, 12 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 2 Steals
• Mackenzie Tinner '22 (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North): 11 Points, 4 Rebounds
• Meghan Barbera '23 (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin): 7 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists

Morrisville's Top Performers

• Brooke Hammersley: 14 Points, 8 Rebounds
• Cara Walker: 11 Points, 5 Assists
• Taylor Colone-Microni: 8 Points, 6 Rebounds
• Rachel Vieira: 8 Points, 3 Rebounds

Game Summary…

• First Quarter
  • Gettysburg led 5-2 in the early going before Morrisville dialed in from distance. A three-pointer by Vieira tied the game and another deep ball by Colone-Microni put the Mustangs ahead 8-5. The visitors would knock down six three-pointers in the opening quarter and went on a 13-2 run to jump in front 21-10 with 2:19 left.
  • A jumper by Szlosek cut the deficit to 21-12 at the end of the quarter.
• Second Quarter
  • The Mustangs continued to hold the advantage throughout the second period and upped their lead to double-figures at 32-22. Back-to-back three-pointers by Rice and Barbera helped swing momentum back in favor of the hosts and sliced the lead down to 32-28 heading into halftime.
• Third Quarter
  • The Bullets completely dominated the third quarter, out-scoring Morrisville 29-5 and hitting 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) shots from the floor. Gettysburg held the Mustangs to just 1-of-14 shooting and won the rebounding battle 15-5.
  • A three-pointer by senior Christina Richson (Summit, N.J./Summit) kick-started a 14-0 run to start the second half. Tinner added a pair of buckets under the hoop and Rice knocked down a deep three-pointer to make it 38-32. Richson started a fast-break by grabbing a defensive board and fired a half-court pass to Rice, who one-touched the ball to freshman Caitlyn Priore (Holland, Pa./Germantown Academy) for a quick transition bucket. A jumper by Rice put the score at 42-32.
  • Rice continued to hold the hot hand, scoring eight points during an 11-0 run that saw the lead grow to 18 (53-35) with 2:12 left in the period. Gettysburg took a 57-37 advantage into the final quarter.
• Fourth Quarter
  • Gettysburg remained in front by 20-plus points throughout the fourth quarter, allowing Head Coach Nate Davis to send in the reserves for their first taste of NCAA playoff competition. Freshman Shinya Lee (Rochester, N.Y./Holderness Prep) produced four points and six rebounds over the final six minutes of action and accounted for the Bullets' final bucket with baseline jumper at 2:08.

Head Coach Nate Davis on the second half turnaround…

"From the outside looking in, it comes off like it was some magical words that was said at halftime. To be honest, it was just about reassuring the team that we weathered a pretty tough storm and continue to focus back on the things we do well. That's all it was, it wasn't some Knute Rockne speech or anything like that. It was literally just saying we just need to be us, keep our composure, take the opportunities they're giving us, and be confident. That's what the message was at halftime."

Carly Rice '22 on her performance in the opening round…

"It definitely meant a lot, especially because going into this nothing is guaranteed. I'm really happy we won the game today. It meant a lot to have my teammates around me helping me throughout the game to get my best shots. They're all great teammates who I love and loving playing with. Today was an awesome win and I'm ready for tomorrow."

By the Numbers

• Gettysburg finished 28-of-64 (43.8 percent) from the floor, while Morrisville finished just 13-of-60 (21.7 percent) overall. After hitting eight three-pointers in the opening half, the Mustangs went 0-for-20 in the second half.
• The Bullets out-rebounded the Mustangs 54-30. It was Gettysburg's second-best rebounding total and rebounding margin of the season. The team pulled down 56 rebounds and held a 26-rebound advantage over Muhlenberg College on Jan. 11.
• Rice tied a personal best with five made three-pointers and hit the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season. The senior guard was named All-Centennial First Team earlier this week.
• Szlosek recorded her second double-double of the season and tied a season-high with a dozen rebounds. The freshman guard also set a new personal mark with seven assists. Only one Gettysburg player has ever recorded a triple-double - Maureen Andrews '95, who did it twice during the 1992-93 season.
• Gettysburg won its opening round game at the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Bullets will aim to advance out of the second round for the first time since 2010 when the team takes on Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets dispatched Salisbury University 66-54 behind 22 points from Lilly Edwards and 18 points from Emily Irwin.

Where the Series Stands

Friday's contest was the first-ever meeting between Gettysburg and Morrisville State.

On to the Big Dance

The Bullets host No. 10 Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, March 5, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students from competing institutions, senior citizens, and children 3-18. Children two and under are admitted free. The game will also be streamed live.