OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Stevenson University outscored Salisbury University 15-5 in the fourth quarter en route to a 47-41 women's basketball victory Tuesday night at Owings Mills Gymnasium.
The Mustangs (1-2) were led by junior Sara Tarbert, who posted her first double-double of the season and 17th of her Stevenson career with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Tarbert finished 8-14 from the floor and also recorded three assists and a pair of steals. Senior Stephanie Martinez finished with 12 points, while Kaitlyn VanTash added nine points on 3-6 shooting.
The win extended Stevenson's home win streak to 14 games dating back to the 2012-13 season.
Salisbury (3-1) was led by Julia McLaughlin, who narrowly missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Stevenson, which trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, found itself down 36-32 after three quarters. The Sea Gulls extended their lead to six early in the fourth before the Mustangs reeled off 11 straight points to build a 43-38 lead. VanTash nailed a three with 7:41 left to make it 38-37, and another VanTash basket at the 7:09 mark gave Stevenson its first lead of the game. The lead swelled to five, 43-38, on a Tarbert layup with 4:26 left.
After Lauren Rothfeld made 1-of-2 at the free throw line with 4:24 to go, Stevenson had the next four points, and a pair of free throws by VanTash with 1:01 left made it 47-39. McLaughlin scored with 30 seconds to go to cut the lead to six, but the Sea Gulls elected not to foul and the Mustangs ran out the clock.
Salisbury held a 14-4 lead late in the first quarter and led 14-6 after one period. The Sea Gulls took their largest lead, 19-8, with 4:16 left in the second on a pair of Rothfeld free throws, before a 7-1 run capped by a Martinez free throw cut the lead to five, 20-15, 46 seconds before intermission. The guests carried a 24-17 lead into the locker room.
A pair of McLaughlin free throws 1:25 into the second half gave Salisbury a 28-19 lead, however, Stevenson used an 11-2 run capped by a Martinez three to tie the game 30-30 with 5:29 left in the third quarter. The Sea Gulls kept the Mustangs at bay, outscoring them 6-2 the remainder of the period.
Stevenson shot 46.4% in the second half and 36.2% for the game while limiting Salisbury to 28% shooting over the final 20 minutes and 32.6% for the game. Salisbury went to the free throw line twice as often, going 11-16 while the Mustangs went 3-8, and the Sea Gulls held a 38-35 rebound advantage. Stevenson also won the turnover battle, forcing 34 giveaways while registering 27 turnovers of its own.
Stevenson returns to action on Sunday, November 29, when it travels to Marymount (Va.) University for a 1:00 tipoff.