GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) and juniors Julie McGrory (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) and Sara Kinsley (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) combined for 53 points as Gettysburg avenged an early season defeat by beating Franklin & Marshall 66-55 in a Centennial Conference affair inside Bream Gym on Wednesday night.
Franklin & Marshall (11-10, 9-8 CC), which defeated Gettysburg (17-5, 12-5 CC) 66-53 on Dec. 8, sliced a 16-point halftime deficit to four before the mid-point of the final stanza, but Moser, McGrory, and Kinsley scored all but two of the host's 29 second-half points to help secure the victory.
The Bullets never trailed in the contest, but the lead was just two (8-6) with six minutes gone by. A 9-0 run started by an old-fashioned three-point play by Kinsley gave Gettysburg its first double-figure lead at 19-8 with 10:48 left in the half.
Franklin & Marshall managed to cut the margin to six (25-19) late in the first half, but the Bullets closed on a 12-2 run to enter the break up 37-21.
Gettysburg saw its lead diminish early in the final period as Beth Holt ignited the Diplomats with 10 points, including a pair of deep threes, as part of an 11-0 run that cut the deficit to 41-37 at 12:28.
The margin never dropped below multiple possessions as each time the visitors scored, Gettysburg had an answer in the form of McGrory, Kinsley, or Moser. The trio scored each of the host's final 23 points, including a putback by Moser which boosted the score to 56-49 with five minutes to play. Franklin & Marshall got no closer than six the rest of the way as the Bullets knocked down six free throws in the final minute to ice the game.
Gettysburg made up for a 0-for-7 effort from three-point land by hitting 22-of-27 free throws (81.5 percent). The squad shot 43.1 percent from the field (22-of-51) overall and out-scored the visitors 34-10 in between the lanes.
McGrory finished with a game-high 20 points, her fourth 20-point effort of the season, including a perfect 10-for-10 effort at the free throw line. Moser added 17 points and a team-high nine boards, while Kinsley turned in 16 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots. It was the trio's highest-scoring effort of the season, topping the 46 points tallied in the season opener against York (N.Y.) College on Nov. 19.
Holt finished with 18 points on a 7-for-15 effort from the field, including 3-of-7 from deep. Alexa Barbush added 16 points and seven steals for the Diplomats.
Gettysburg returns to the fold this Saturday, Feb. 12, with a visit to Washington College. Game time is 2 p.m. inside the Cain Center.