Gettysburg (6-2) took home the championship at its own tournament for the sixth time since 2008. Porter, who was the Sally Musselman Most Outstanding Player in 2013 and earned her third all-tournament honor overall at the home event, canned 11-of-19 attempts from the floor and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore Emily Gibbons (Annapolis, Md./Severna School) also picked up all-tournament accolades after posting 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the title game.
Gettysburg dominated the opening half of play as Porter dropped in 18 points. She fueled a 10-0 run in the first quarter with three quick buckets to make it 14-2 at 3:38 in the first quarter. The Bullets led 22-10 after the opening frame.
"A lot of our plays just worked out," said Porter, who is just 58 points shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. "I got a lot rolls to the basket and my teammates got me the ball."
Gettysburg Head Coach Nate Davis, who spent the previous five seasons coaching Eastern (8-5), knew his former team was more than capable of making a comeback. The Eagles erased an eight-point, third-quarter deficit to Mount Aloysius College in their opening game on Sunday and trimmed a 14-point deficit to just six (32-26) following an eight-point spurt midway through the second quarter on Monday.
"We knew they were going to play hard, so we just wanted to try to match their intensity and execute offensively," said Davis, who led Eastern to the NCAA Division III Tournament last season. "I tried to tell our players Eastern doesn't quit, they keep coming at you."
A three-pointer by senior Kim Ryan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) halted the run and kicked off a 13-2 spurt by the hosts to end the first half. Three-straight lay-ups by sophomore Annie Reilly (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) gave Gettysburg a 45-28 advantage heading into the break.
After shooting a blistering 55.6 percent in the first half, Gettysburg cooled down in the second half, but Eastern was unable to trim the lead to less than 11. After a three-pointer by Amanda Riiff cut the margin to 55-44 with 9:36 left in the fourth quarter, Porter nailed a pair of free throws and corralled an offensive board for an easy lay-in to lift the lead back to 15. The advantage would grow to 20 (66-46) after a pair of free throws by Gibbons.
Despite similarities in offensive and defensive schemes, Gettysburg came out on top thanks to a 42.9 percent (27-of-63) shooting performance and a 45-32 advantage in rebounds. The Bullets also dominated the paint, out-scoring the Eagles 42-24.
"It was very strange," noted Davis about facing his former team. "Those players are like family to me too. It's certainly an experience you don't get a lot of in college basketball. Sometimes it happens, but not necessarily this soon usually."
Freshman Emma Dorshimer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) posted 16 points and four assists, while Reilly finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Taylor Price and Regie Robinson were each named to the all-tournament team from Eastern. Price finished with 13 points and four assists, while Robinson posted 14 points. Amber Anderson and Riiff added 10 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.
In the consolation game, Mount Aloysius (6-5) out-scored Wilkes University (1-9) 20-9 in the third quarter on the way to a 55-44 victory. Breana Kendrick was named to the all-tournament team after posting 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists for the Mounties. Cara Basile paced Wilkes with 13 points.
Winning its own tournament has served as a catalyst for the postseason in the past for Gettysburg. Following its five previous tournament titles since 2008, the team advanced to the conference playoffs.
"It definitely gives us a boost," said Porter, who was also the MVP of the Frostburg State Tip-off Tournament earlier this season. "We played a great team so we have energy going into the next game. It definitely helps us set a tone for conference play."
Gettysburg heads to Swarthmore College on Thursday, Jan. 7. Game time is 6 p.m.