GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College maintained its place at the top of the Centennial Conference standings by holding visiting Franklin & Marshall College to just 10 first-half points en route to a 49-41 victory inside Bream Gym on Wednesday night.
Gettysburg (16-6, 13-4 CC) remained tied with Swarthmore College (17-5, 13-4 CC) for the top spot in the conference standings with only three games remaining in the regular season. Already assured a spot in the Centennial playoffs, the Bullets can clinch a first-round bye with a win in its next contest.
Junior Caroline Murphy (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) posted her eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds for Gettysburg. Freshman Jessica Porter (Narberth, Pa./Lower Merion) tallied 14 points and seven boards, while sophomore Jenna Swope (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) logged 13 rebounds and eight points.
Emma Lisle led Franklin & Marshall (7-15, 4-13 CC) with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocked shots. Elizabeth Snyder added nine points and five boards and Sam Plunkett came through with eight tallies.
Gettysburg turned in one of its most impressive defensive displays of the season in the opening half. The Bullets came into the game leading all of Division III in field-goal percentage defense and it showed as the Diplomats managed to connect on only 5-of-37 attempts (13.5 percent). Gettysburg also held Alexa Barbush, the conference's leading scorer at over 19 points per game, without a field goal in the opening stanza.
After an offensive rebound and lay-up by Kristina McCarthy gave the visitors a 6-3 advantage at 17:15, Franklin & Marshall would go without another made field goal for nearly 11 minutes. In the meantime, the Bullets went on a 16-0 run with a lay-up by Porter putting the lead at 19-6 with 6:35 to go in the half.
Gettysburg added the final six points of the frame to take a 25-10 lead into halftime.
Franklin & Marshall would gain some momentum early in the final period and trim the lead to just five (31-25) on a three-pointer by Plunket at 11:17. Gettysburg answered with back-to-back buckets by Murphy to spark an 8-0 run and swing the pendulum back in its favor. The Bullets capped the game by going 8-for-12 at the free throw line over the final 4:22.
Franklin & Marshall finished just 16-of-70 (22.9 percent) from the floor, including going 3-for-18 from beyond the arc. Barbush was held to just 6 points on 2-of-18 shooting.
Gettysburg finished 15-of-53 (28.3 percent) from the floor and 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) from the free throw line. The Bullets also out-rebounded the Diplomats 50-48.
Gettysburg returns to action with a road trip to Washington College on Saturday, Feb. 9. Game time is 2 p.m. The Bullets defeated the Shorewomen 58-40 back on Jan. 5.