GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- Gwynedd Mercy kicked off their 2017-18 season claiming the Battle of Route 309 title in their 54-47 win over Arcadia Wednesday night.
The Griffins used a big three-pointer late as part of an 8-0 run to pull away from the Knights in a tight matchup that saw 13 lead changes throughout the night.

Julianna Hoisington, Susan Bossler, and Olivia Rosemaneach had 11 points respectively to lead GMercyU. Bossler's triple with 26 seconds in the fourth quarter opened up a three-point contest and got the crowd at The Griffin Complex on its feet.

Taylor Dunn netted 17 points for the Knights, while adding seven rebounds and four assists.

The game remained scoreless for the first three minutes of the first as each team had to shake off the early season rust. Bossler put the Griffins on the board with her three-point play, a searing drive inside the paint five minutes into the game.  The two teams traded points the rest of the stanza, but Hoisington's layup with three ticks left gave Gwynedd a 14-13 lead after one.

The Griffins opened the second with a 5-0 spurt but saw Arcadia tied it up at 19-19 with a free throw and three pointer of their own.  Marisa Sullivan's tough bucket underneath put GMercyU on top 23-21, but it would be the last field goal over the last 5:51 as the Knights closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 26-23 lead at the break

The second half started similarly to the first with neither team scoring a field goal for the first three-plus minutes until Roseman answered with a layup followed by a steal from Tolu Omole and another Griffin basket from rookie Sydney Thompson to tie the game at 27-27. Omole had another fantastic swipe on the next possession, leading to her own putback after a miss from Bossler to put Gwynedd on top. Back-to-back three's from Hoisington and Thompson stretched the lead to six (39-33) with less than a minute in the frame. The Knights sunk two free throws, ending the quarter at 39-35.

Tied at 42-42 with 5:31 in the fourth, Roseman went to the line to hit a pair of free throws to go ahead, but Dunn hit her third three-pointer of the game, giving Arcadia back the lead. The two teams continued to go back and forth with the Griffins up by one with two minutes to go in the game. Trailing 47-46, Bosler drove in the lane to get a tough bucket and on the ensuing defensive possession, grabbed a rebound off a miss. Adams hit a wide-open layup to widen the Griffin lead. Bosler helped cement the outcome with her triple

Adams would tie a career high with seven rebounds while Omole's four steals were a personal best. Thompson finished with nine points, five rebounds, and three assists in her debut. Gwynedd shot 32.8% (20-of-61) for the game

Fritz and Menns each added ten rebounds for Arcadia, which won the rebound battle, 50-34. The Knights were just 16-of-59 (27.1%) from the floor.

The Griffins return to action this Saturday for their own tip-off tournament. On Saturday at 1 p.m., Gwynedd Mercy takes on Penn State-Harrisburg followed by Sage and Haverford at 3 p.m. The consolation takes place on Sunday at noon prior to the championship at 2 p.m.