HAVERFORD, Pa. – Sophomore Ashley Gehrin(Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) hit what turned out to be the game-winning free throw with four seconds left and Gettysburg College avenged its only Centennial Conference defeat with a 55-54 victory at Haverford College on Saturday.
 
Gettysburg (18-2, 14-1 CC), which lost to Haverford (17-4, 13-3 CC) 67-56 on Jan. 9, ran its win streak to eight despite nearly blowing an 11-point lead with 6:02 remaining. The Bullets have now tied the best start through 20 games in program history.
 
Gehrin, junior Emma Dorshimer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown), and freshman Meredith Brown (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) all finished with 13 points. Senior Emily Gibbons (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to move into a tie with Jennifer Bengel '06 for the program's career record of 928. Senior Kendra Meredith(Boyds, Md./Northwest) dished out seven assists and grabbed three steals.
 
Sierra Berkel led Haverford with 24 points and Julianna Clark netted a dozen tallies.
 
Gettysburg wasted no time jumping in front and stole ahead 9-2 on a three-pointer by Dorshimer midway through the first quarter. The lead grew to nine twice in the frame before settling at a 15-10 advantage heading into the second quarter.
 
The Bullets were dialed in early in the second period and seized a double-figure lead on a lay-up by Gibbons which made it 21-11. The margin grew to 12, but the Fords came storming back with a 13-2 run over the final 3:40. Gettysburg went without a field goal during the run and Clark's third three-pointer of the period trimmed the advantage to 32-31 heading into the break.
 
Twice Haverford seized the lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter, including on a lay-up by Berkel which made it 35-34. Gettysburg tallied the next seven points to surge back in front and took a 45-41 lead into the final frame.
 
Brown helped boost the margin to double-figures with back-to-back buckets as part of a seven-point spurt to open the fourth. The margin remained 11 (54-43) following a pair of free throws by Dorshimer with 6:02 left.
 
Berkel put Haverford on her back down the stretch and converted three consecutive buckets to pull the Fords within five. The Ford defense kept the Bullets off the board and a lay-up by Samantha Wetzel made it 54-51 with just 47 seconds to play.
 
Following an empty possession by the visitors, Macy Goldbach missed a three-pointer with six seconds left and Gehrin corralled the carom and was fouled. The sophomore missed the first and hit the second to push the margin to four. Wetzel knocked down a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds left and after a timeout, Gettysburg advanced the ball to half-court and safely tossed it into Gibbons.
 
Gettysburg finished 19-of-54 (35.2 percent) from the floor and 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) from the free throw line. Haverford finished 22-of-54 (40.7 percent) from the field overall. The Bullets held a 39-32 rebounding advantage.
 
Gettysburg visits Dickinson College (8-13, 8-8 CC) this Tuesday at 7 p.m.