ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A season-opening clash between the top teams in the Centennial Conference preseason poll lived up to the billing as host Muhlenberg College held off No. 16 Gettysburg College 63-60 in women's hoops action inside Memorial Hall Tuesday night.
Gettysburg (2-1, 0-1 CC), picked to finish first in the conference preseason ballot, was led by junior Sara Kinsley (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) who notched her second career double-double with a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Julie McGrory (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) added 13 points, including a three-pointer that cut Muhlenberg's (4-0, 1-0 CC) lead to one with three seconds left.
After going into the break with a one-point lead at 29-28, the Bullets upped the advantage to seven (35-28), tying the largest lead of the evening by either team, on an old-fashioned three-point play by Kinsley at 17:42.
Muhlenberg answered right back with back-to-back buckets by Leeann Lanza, and just minutes later, another conversion by Lanza gave the hosts a one-point advantage (38-37) at 15:33.
The two rivals would exchange the lead four times over the next three minutes capped with a three-pointer by Alexandra Chili and a lay-up by Alita Zabrecky which handed Muhlenberg a 52-48 lead just before the halfway point of the final period.
Gettysburg forced a tie at 52-all after three consecutive free throws by Kinsley, but the Mules maintained the upper-hand just barely as the Bullets went without a made field goal for nearly eight minutes until a lay-up by senior guard Mary Spicer (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) with 2:18 to play. During the same time frame, Muhlenberg connected on just one bucket, keeping the score within one possession heading into the final moments.
With just 43 seconds left and the hosts leading by three, Gettysburg took three attempts from deep. None found the mark, and Chili hit another free throw to expand the lead to four with 10 seconds left. McGrory hit the visitor's only three with three seconds before Chili iced the game with a pair of free throws with one tick left.
In the first half, Gettysburg jumped out to an early 13-6 lead only to see Muhlenberg come right back with an 8-0 run to take a 14-13 lead with 10 minutes left before halftime. The Mules led by as many as five in the opening period, but a lay-up by Kinsley gave the visitor's a one-point lead heading into the locker room.
Both offenses were largely held in check as Gettysburg's 36.2 percent from the floor was slightly better than Muhlenberg's 35.9 pace. The two squads were a combined 2-of-21 from three-point distance and the Mules held a slight edge in rebounds at 44-42.
Kinsley was the most efficient Bullet, going 7-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the free throw line. The 21 points bested her previous career mark by five points. McGrory hit 5-of-14 field goals and played every minute of the contest, while freshman Rianna Doane (Glen Mills, Pa./Bayard Rustin) added eight points and three assists.
Zabrecky led a trio of double-figure scorers for the Mules with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals. Chili finished with 17 tallies and Lanza posted 10 points and nine rebounds.
Gettysburg welcomes York (Pa.) College for its home opener inside Bream Gym on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 2 p.m.
- Go Bullets -