LANCASTER, Pa. --- Lauren Howanski scored 20 points and Brandy Burkett added seven of her 17 in overtime to lead Franklin & Marshall past Gettysburg 76-70 in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Tuesday.

     The Diplomats (11-9, 7-3 CC) trailed 68-66 with 2:27 left in overtime before outscoring Gettysburg (12-8, 6-5 CC) 10-2 the rest of the way to seal the win and strengthen their hold on the CC West division's second and final playoff spot.

     Gettysburg's Carrie Kulp scored a team-high 20 points while Mandy Wilson added a season-high 15 points for the Bullets, who erased a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes and 22 seconds of regulation to force the overtime period.

     Jamie Dawson added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Gettysburg while Megan McDonald scored nine of her 11 points after halftime and also hauled in a career-high 13 rebounds for her second double-double (points and rebounds) of the season.

     Down 60-51 with 3:22 left, Gettysburg went on a 9-0 run keyed by four points from Kulp to tie the game at 60 all.  McDonald capped the comeback by converting a 3-point play with 51 seconds left.

     Franklin & Marshall jumped out to a 66-63 lead in the first minute of the extra period behind a bucket from Howanski and two free-throws from Burkett.

     Gettysburg answered with a 5-0 run to take its last lead of the game at 68-66 with 2:27 remaining.

     From there the Diplomats scored 10 of the game's final 12 points to claim the victory.  Howanski drew Franklin & Marshall even with a pair of free throws and Burkett scored F&M's next four points on a layup and two free throws to make it 74-70.

     Following a Gettysburg turnover on its next possession, Amy Kreitz drained two free throws to lock up the win.

     Gettysburg shot 86.67 percent (13 for 15) from the free-throw line in the first half to take a 27-24 lead into the locker room. Dawson led the way with eight points and six rebounds in the game's first 20 minutes.

     In addition to her 13 rebounds, McDonald also tied a career-high with five steals on the night.  As a team, the Bullets hauled in a season-high 58 rebounds but also commited a season-high 34 turnovers.

     Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday, February 12 at home against Western Maryland College.  Game time is 4 p.m.

Score By Half

Gettysburg (70)
Wilson 5-14 5-9 15, Williams 0-8 0-0 0, Hewes 0-0 0-0 0, Drevna 1-7 0-0 2, McDonald 4-14 3-3 11, Nolan 0-2 0-0 0, Hodge 2-6 1-1 5, Kulp 7-10 6-7 20, Havens 1-6 2-2 4, Dawson 3-7 7-8 13, Dallas 0-1 0-0 0. Total 23-75 24-30 70.

Franklin & Marshall (76)
Kreitz 3-9 4-4 12, Burkett 3-12 9-10 17, Hirl 0-1 2-2 0, Rader 0-0 0-0 0, Stauber 4-12 2-4 10, Drahos 0-2 0-0 0, Witkowski 0-0 0-2 0, Linnander 1-5 5-10 7, Adkins 3-5 0-0 6, Howanski 8-19 3-4 20, Dempsey 0-3 0-0 0, Raguckas 1-1 0-0 2, DiFazio 0-2 0-0 0. Total 23-71 25-36 76.

Three-pointers: Gettysburg 0-6 (Wilson 0-1, Williams 0-2, Kulp 0-2, Havens 0-1), Franklin & Marshall 5-17 (Kreitz 2-5, Burkett 2-8, Howanski 1-3, Stauber 0-1). Rebounds: Gettysburg 58 (McDonald 13), Franklin & Marshall 52 (Stauber 10). Assists: Gettysburg 11 (Four players with 2), Franklin & Marshall 13 (Burkett 6). Turnovers: Gettysburg 34, Franklin & Marshall 26. Blocked Shots: Gettysburg 1 (McDonald), Franklin & Marshall 4 (Burkett, Stauber, Linnander, Adkins). Steals: Gettysburg 14 (McDonald 5), Franklin & Marshall 15 (Burkett 7). Personal Fouls: Gettysburg 27, Franklin & Marshall 24.  Technical Fouls: None. Attendance: 100.