HAVERFORD, Pa. – Gettysburg College polished off its seventh consecutive victory by going 11-for-11 from the free throw line over the final 3:19 of a 61-55 decision at Haverford College Tuesday night.
Gettysburg (14-5, 11-3 CC), which came into the game ranked 10th in the nation in free throw percentage, picked up each of its final 11 points at the charity stripe. The Bullets topped their season free throw percentage mark by going 23-for-27 (85.2 percent) for the game.
One game removed from converting the game-winning shot at Swarthmore College, junior Alyssa Isler (New Hope, Pa./New Hope-Solebury) helped capture another victory with a career-high 25 points. She tied a school record by knocking down 12 attempts at the free throw line. Four Bullets had hit a dozen free throws in a game previously with Jennifer Bengel '06 the last to do it against Gywnedd-Mercy College on Nov. 20, 2005. Isler finished 12-for-14 from the line and 5-for-10 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 performance from beyond the arc.
Freshman Jessica Porter (Narberth, Pa./Lower Merion) added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Bullets, while junior Caroline Murphy (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) turned in nine points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Jenna Swope (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) led the team with 11 boards.
With the score tied 5-5 in the first half, Gettysburg mounted a nine-point run sparked by a three-pointer by Porter at 13:04. Murphy capped the run with an offensive rebound and putback for a 14-5 advantage with 7:56 left in the first half.
Haverford fired back with an 11-2 run to turn the tide. After exchanging the lead several times, the Fords grabbed the lead at 23-21 on a three-pointer by Jacquelyn Pizzuto at 2:04. The hosts would hold a 24-23 advantage heading into the half.
The second half was a pitted back-and-forth battle with neither side taking more than a five-point lead. Tied at 48, freshman Emily Duggan (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City) put the Bullets back in front with an old-fashioned three-point play following an offensive rebound. Haverford would retake the lead by one, but Isler forced another lead change by knocking down a pair of attempts from the stripe with 2:12 remaining.
Rachel Baskin forced the eighth and final tie of the game at 55-55 with a three-pointer with just 40 seconds to go. Isler once again came through in the clutch with two more free throws to regain the upper-hand for Gettysburg. Haverford was off target on its final shots and sent both Murphy and Porter to the line inside the final 10 seconds for free throws.
Gettysburg finished 17-for-42 from the field (40.5 percent), while holding the Fords to just 19-for-61 (31.1 percent). The Bullets held a slight edge in rebounds at 39-37.
Rachel Baskin and Elizabeth Lynch each tallied a dozen points for the hosts, while Calla Milelr added 10 points. Pizzuto finished the night with eight points and seven assists.
Gettysburg returns to the court on Thursday, Jan. 31, with a road trip to Johns Hopkins University for a 6 p.m. meeting.
- Go Bullets -