WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Gettysburg College women's basketball team shot over 50 percent for the second consecutive game and dominated play under the basket on the way to a 73-64 victory at McDaniel College in a Centennial Conference showdown inside the Gill Center Saturday afternoon.
Gettysburg (18-5, 12-5 CC) out-scored McDaniel (20-5, 15-3 CC) 40-24 between the lanes and the Bullets held a 45-28 advantage in rebounds. The victory kept the Green Terror from grabbing the conference's top seed and sets up a rubber match between the teams in the league tournament semifinals at Muhlenberg College next Friday.
After putting up a career-high 33 points in the first meeting between the two teams, McDaniel's Lindsey Nichols picked up right where she left off in the first quarter Saturday. Nichols dropped in eight points as the Green Terror jumped out to a 10-2 lead.
Despite trailing by double-figures in the opening period, the Bullets righted the ship and sliced an 11-point deficit down to one point with a 10-0 run. A putback by junior Sarah Graham (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) made it 21-20 before a jumper by Nichols gave the hosts a three-point lead at the end of the high-scoring quarter.
The pace slowed in the second period and Gettysburg took advantage. An old-fashioned three-point play by senior Jessica Porter (Narberth, Pa./Lower Merion) gave the visitors a 36-29 lead with 1:48 before the half. The Bullets maintained the upper-hand with a 38-33 lead heading into the locker room.
In the first meeting, McDaniel erased a six-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to pull out a victory inside Bream Gym. There would be no letdown for the Bullets in the rematch as the lead reached nine on several occasions in the third quarter, including on a jumper in the paint by sophomore Emily Gibbons (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) which made it 53-44 with 1:58 left in the frame.
McDaniel refused to give in despite a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Green Terror cut the lead to five twice inside the final 71 seconds. After a free throw by Karli Zeps made it 69-64 with 38 ticks left, Gettysburg knocked down its final four free throws to seal the win.
Gettysburg finished 29-of-57 (50.9 percent) from the floor, while McDaniel canned 22-of-63 (34.9 percent) of its attempts.
Freshman Emma Dorshimer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) paved the way for the win with 20 points and five rebounds. Porter notched her team-best seventh double-double of the campaign with 15 points and 10 rebounds and also contributed five steals and four assists. Gibbons tallied 12 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Annie Reilly (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) led the reserves with nine points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Nichols finished 7-of-20 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line for a game-high 25 points. Zeps added 10 points, while Jasmine Smith and Brittney Davis each contributed eight points.
Gettysburg will close out the regular season at home against Ursinus College (11-13, 9-8 CC) on Monday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. The Bullets will honor their three seniors – Porter, Emily Duggan (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City), and Kim Ryan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) - prior to the start of the game.