Box Score

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – For the first time in over a decade, the Gettysburg College women's basketball team walked out of Memorial Hall with a victory in the books as the Bullets opened the 2007-08 Centennial Conference schedule with a 71-57 victory over Muhlenberg College on Tuesday night. Sophomore Nicole Dobranski (Albertson, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) paced Gettysburg's (2-2, 1-0 CC) effort with her first career double-double, scoring a career-high 16 points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.

The last time the Bullets won in Allentown was Jan. 14, 1995 when the squad edged the host Mules 76-74. Since that point, Muhlenberg (1-2, 0-1 CC) had won 11 of 14 meetings, including each of the last three. That trend changed on Tuesday as Gettysburg broke the Mules' full-court press early and often and won the rebounding battle 44-36, despite a significant size difference in the post.

The Bullets came out with intensity off the opening tip, netting the first seven points of the game and jumping out to a 14-2 lead following an old-fashioned three-point play by sophomore Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) at 15:23. Muhlenberg was down, but not out, jumping back into the fray with a pair of three-pointers by Caitlin O'Malley off the bench. Gettysburg continued to hold sway, however, leading 28-18 with just under 18 minutes to play.

The Mules came roaring back at the end of the half, running off a 13-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 31-28 at 3:23. Sophomore Allie Drechsler (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) put a halt to the run with a pair of free throws, but the hosts took a 35-33 lead into the break as Kelly McKeon hit a jumper as the buzzer sounded.

After committing 11 first-half turnovers and getting out-rebounded 19-16, Gettysburg reversed both stat-lines in the final period, committing just seven miscues and controlling the boards 28-17. Dobranski and freshman Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) played major roles in the final period, each contributing eight points and combining for 15 caroms.

Muhlenberg opened the second stanza with the first points, but the Bullets quickly erased the deficit as the two teams exchanged the lead back-and-forth through the opening six minutes of the half. Gettysburg would eventually grab the upper-hand, taking the lead 45-44 on a lay-up by Moser at 14:14. The Bullets would continue to hold the advantage in the second half, building an 11-point lead (64-53) following a near-three minute scoreless drought by the Mules down to the five-minute mark.

Muhlenberg cut the lead to single-digits on two occasions, but each time Gettysburg had an answer, the last retort coming off the left hand of senior Megan Hartman (Lewistown, Pa./Indian Valley) who blew by several Mule defenders to net a pair of lay-ups. Hartman capped the night with a free throw with 56 seconds left to set the final margin.

Hartman closed the night with a game-high 17 points, just one off her career-high. She was 6-of-10 from the field, including one three-pointer, and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Dobranski, who topped her career-high by four, finished an efficient 7-of-9 from the floor with a pair of free throws, while Moser reached double-figures for the third consecutive game in her young career.

Fields produced a solid all-around effort with seven points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Sophomore Ali Goldsmith (Farmingdale, N.J./Howell) added eight points and four caroms.

O'Malley led Muhlenberg with 15 points, while Lauren Boyle chipped in with 12.

Gettysburg returns to action in one week (Nov. 27) when it resumes conference play at Dickinson College at 7:30 p.m.