Box Score
SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Keriann Van Nostrand (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan Reg.) and Elizabeth Ross (Chestertown, MD/St. Andrew's School) combined for 20 second-half points to help Gettysburg hand regionally ranked Swarthmore its first Centennial Conference (CC) loss of the season on Saturday, 53-49.
Van Nostrand, who finished with a team-best 12 points, scored nine in an eight-minute stretch of the second half to stake the Bullets (10-9, 6-4 CC) to an eight-point lead and Ross made it stand up by converting four clutch free throws in the final 1:29.
Former CC Player of the Year Heather Kile scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half for the Garnet (14-4, 7-1 CC), but her potential game-tying layup rimmed out with six seconds left. Katie Robinson also added a game-high 16 for Swarthmore, which entered the game ranked second in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
After holding Western Maryland and Lebanon Valley to 49 points in the last two weeks, but losing both times, the Bullets found enough offense this time around to spring the upset.
Gettysburg took a five-point lead into halftime, only to see the Garnet rally for leads of 25-24 and 33-30 with 12:48 left in the game.
Van Nostrand's pull-up jumper cut the lead to one and Dana Bear (Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic) bounced home a 3-pointer to put the Bullets ahead to stay at 35-33.
Gettysburg built the lead to 44-36 thanks to a 15-3 run, capped by Van Nostrand's 3-pointer with 8:22 remaining.
Kile converted 1-of-2 free throws and Kristen Lee knocked down a three to cut the lead to 44-40.
The Bullets didn't score a field goal after Jen Nolan's (Germantown, MD/Seneca Valley) inside layup with 6:55 left, but Swarthmore managed only four points over the next 4:11, pulling within 47-45 on a Kile turnaround with 1:44 to play.
Ross was fouled on the next possession and calmly drained both free throws to restore the four-point lead.
Katie Tarr's two free throws made it 51-49 and a missed jumper gave the ball back to the Garnet with 15.2 seconds left, but Kile's driving layup slid off the right side of the rim and Ross corralled the rebound with 4.1 seconds left.
The freshman knocked down both ends of the one-and-one situation to seal the win.
Despite an 8-for-28 shooting performance and a 7-minute, 18-second scoreless stretch, the Bullets took a five-point lead into the half by holding the Garnet to five field goals and 15 points.
With Gettysburg stuck on seven points since the game's opening minutes, Jay Hodge (Silver Spring, MD/St. Vincent Pallotti) scored on a layup to tie the game at 9 with 8:50 left until halftime.
Two jumpers from Robinson put Swarthmore ahead 11-10 before Steph Drevna (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Catholic) drained a 3-pointer to give the Bullets a lead they would hold the rest of the half.
Van Nostrand knocked down a jumper from the left corner on Gettysburg's next possession and Adrienne Simmons (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) made it 18-12 with a jumper and free throw over the next two minutes.
Swarthmore, which suffered through scoring droughts of 4:31 and 5:22 in the opening 20 minutes, pulled within 20-15 at the half on another Robinson jumper and 1-of-2 free throws from Tarr.
Hodge finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds before fouling out with 2:13 remaining. Bear also hit double digits with 10 points.
Gettysburg returns to action on Wednesday at Johns Hopkins. Game time is 6 p.m.
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