(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson women's basketball team returned to the win column on Wednesday night, posting a key Centennial Conference victory over visiting McDaniel College, 61-58.
The teams traded points in the early going, playing to an 8-8 tie in the opening seven minutes of the game. Senior Helen Roberts (Oakton, Va./Oakton) buried a three-pointer and first-year Lauren McBride (Trenton, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's) hit a pair of free throws to put the Red Devils up, 13-8.
Jasmine Smith answered for McDaniel before Roberts sank another triple to give Dickinson a 16-10 advantage at the end of the first.
After a pair of Alyssa March free throws, Smith would put the Green Terror in front in the second quarter, converting a three-point play and hitting a jumper for a 17-16 lead at the 7:30 mark.
McDaniel led by five before Mary Martin (Honesdale, Pa./Honesdale) completed a three-point play and Hannah Heiring (Wayzata, Minn./Wayzata) knocked down a three-pointer for a 26-25 lead, in the final minute of the first half.
Karli Zeps added a free throw and scored in the final seconds to give McDaniel a 28-26 lead at the break. They would stretch the margin to seven to start the third quarter before Roberts started a run by the Red Devils with a three-pointer, scoring off an assist from classmate Jennifer Smith (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn).
Junior Kassidy Lesher (Shoemakersville, Pa./Hamburg) had a solid stretch with a lay-up and four free throws to tie the game, 35-35, with 6:43 remaining in the period.
Jasmine Smith and Roberts traded three-pointers and Martin gave Dickinson a two-point advantage at the 4:18 mark. Jennifer Smith scored twice to close out the third with the Red Devils holding a 48-39 advantage.
McDaniel cut the deficit to four at the midpoint of the fourth quarter but Roberts came back with her fifth triple of the night. Roberts hit a big jumper and was fouled, giving the Devils a seven-point lead with just 1:36 left to play. She would add to more free throws in the final minute to help secure the win.
McDaniel falls to 10-10 overall and 8-7 in the conference. March led the Green Terror with 17 points and 11 rebounds, adding two steals and two blocked shots.
Roberts finished 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 3-for-3 from the foul line, scoring a game-high 20 points on the night. Lesher had a dominant performance in the paint, recording a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. She went 6-for-6 from the line, adding a pair of steals and two blocked shots.
Martin reached double-figures with 16 points, hitting 6-of-7 free throws and grabbing four rebounds. Heiring scored seven points while Mackenzie Skerritt (Hightstown, N.J./The Peddie School) controlled five rebounds. Smith tallied four points, four rebounds and three assists. The Red Devils went 19-of-22 from the foul line as a team, shooting 86 percent for the game.
The Red Devils improve to 13-7 overall and 10-5 in the conference. They are home again on Saturday, hosting Bryn Mawr College at 2:00 pm.