MAHWAH, N.J. - Swarthmore College Women's Basketball returned to the court after a few weeks off with an exciting 67-64 victory over Ramapo College on Wednesday afternoon.
The Garnet improved to 6-2, while the Road Runners drop to 6-4 on the season. This was the first time the two schools have ever met in women's basketball.
Ramapo got off to a strong start as they outscored Swarthmore 22-8 and shot 58.82% from the field in the opening quarter. In the second quarter, the Garnet battled back to outscore the Road Runners 18-9. Assisted by Dana Bandurick, T Sallie opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, which was followed by a Alyssa Hayashi jumper. Bandurick and Emily Smith closed out the second frame with back to back jumpers for Swarthmore. Even with outscoring the host, the Garnet still trailed 31-26 at the half-time break.
Hayashi knocked down a jumper from inside the paint with three-seconds remaining in the quarter. After facing a 47-40 deficit at the end of the third, Swarthmore's offense scored 27 points in the final frame. Bandurick and Hayashi each hit a pair of free-throws as the Garnet opened on a 4-0 run. After knocking down a jumper, Bandurick's defense stepped up as the junior blocked an Alison Ahern shot. The very next possession the guard hit a jumper to score her sixth point in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter. Swarthmore took its first lead of the game on a free-throw by Bandurick with 6:44 remaining in the contest. The Garnet extended that lead behind buckets from Bandurick, Hayashi and Katelyn Becker. The Road Runners were unable to get a three-point shot off as time expired, giving Swarthmore a 67-64 victory.
Bandurick led all scorers with 24 points and added 16 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year. The junior guard scored 20 points and grabbed 13 of those rebounds in the second half of play. Hayashi added 18 points, seven rebounds and one steal, while Becker added seven points and a pair of steals. Carolina Lopez and Norah Wingfield each added six points for the Garnet.
Swarthmore will open the new year on Wednesday as they travel to take on McDaniel College in Centennial Conference action. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. Specific live video and live stats links for home and away contests can be found on the women's basketball schedule page.
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Update: 12/31/21
Due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases in Delaware County and across the region, and in the interest of the health and safety of the Swarthmore College students, faculty, and staff members and our surrounding communities, the College is temporarily prohibiting all spectators from attending indoor home athletic competitions until further notice. The College's COVID-19 Planning Group reached this decision in consultation with medical and public health experts.