GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Junior Emily Gibbons (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) had a hand in Gettysburg's first 15 points of the fourth quarter as the Bullets pushed past Juniata College for an 81-68 victory in the opening game of the Gettysburg Tournament inside Bream Gym on Monday.
 
Gettysburg (6-3) out-scored Juniata (7-4) by nine in the final frame to break open a close game. Gibbons recorded her sixth double-double of the season after finishing with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Sophomore Emma Dorshimer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) posted 17 points, while junior Kendra Meredith (Boyds, Md./Northwest) contributed 11 points, five assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
 
Katy Leamer paced the Eagles with 18 points and Suzy Badorf-Englad posted eight points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
 
Gettysburg jumped out of the gates in a hurry as Gibbons and Dorshimer each recorded a pair of buckets on the way to a 10-2 lead. The Bullets ended the first quarter with a 21-13 cushion and extended the lead to 12 (27-15) following a pair of free throws by Meredith with 8:13 left in the opening half.
 
Juniata took advantage of its rebounding advantage and closed the gap quickly, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities to pull to 33-31 late in the second frame. Gettysburg ended the half on a high note as Dorshimer nailed a three-pointer in the final seconds to push the margin back to five.
 
The Eagles sliced the deficit to one three times in the third quarter, including the last at 51-50 with 1:47 to go. The Bullets answered with freshman Ashley Gehrin (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) hitting from beyond the arc, but Juniata trailed just 56-52 entering the final period of play.
 
Gibbons took over the final period, either scoring or assisting every point during a 15-6 run to open the frame. She dished the rock on a trio of three-pointers, the last by freshman Lindsay Hiner (New Britain, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) giving Gettysburg a 69-56 lead with 4:11 to play. Juniata closed the gap to six in the final minutes, but the Bullets iced the game with a final 9-2 run.
Gettysburg finished 30-of-59 (50.8 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Juniata was 26-of-72 (36.1 percent) and won the rebounding battle 43-34.
 
In the tournament's second game, St. John Fisher College (3-5) out-scored Swarthmore College (1-8) 19-6 in the third quarter on the way to a 75-61 victory. The Garnet kept things interesting by knocking down eight three-pointers, but the Cardinals' inside game proved the stronger. St. John Fisher finished with a 52-18 edge in points in the paint and out-rebounded Swarthmore 55-38.
 
Caroline Robertson paced the Cardinals with 18 points, while Emily Piacentini and Jessica Rhone each finished with 13 points. Melanie Ackerman led the Garnet with 15 points.
 
Gettysburg and St. John Fisher will square off on the second day of the tournament at 6 p.m. Swarthmore and Juniata meet at 4 p.m.