Box Score
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Traffic and bad weather slowed the Gettysburg College women's basketball team's bus on its trip to Swarthmore College, but the late start did little to slow the pace in the game as the Bullets raced out to a 23-point halftime lead and defeated the Garnet 78-58 in a Centennial Conference match up at Tarble Pavilion.
Gettysburg improved its season record to 8-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play, while Swarthmore suffered its fifth straight setback to fall to 4-9, 1-6 CC. Sophomore Allie Drechsler (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) led the Bullets with 16 points, while classmate Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) and freshman Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) each chipped in with a dozen tallies.
Tied at 5-5 in the early going, Gettysburg jumped out in front for the final time with a 12-0 run, capped by a jumper by Drechsler at 12:17. The lead never dipped below 10 for the remainder of the opening period and grew to 25 as the visitors put in another big run, this time a 13-0 spurt to go up 36-11 with 5:40 remaining. Fields and junior Margaret White (Burke, Va./James W. Robinson) connected on back-to-back three-pointers during the charge, while Drechsler once again ended capped the drive with a bucket.
Gettysburg out-rebounded the much bigger Swarthmore lineup 32-21 in the opening 20 minutes and forced 19 turnovers which led to 20 points. The Bullets went into the break with a comfortable 42-19 edge.
Swarthmore got as close as 19 early in the second half, but an 11-0 run past the midway point gave the visitors their largest lead of the game at 68-35. The Garnet cut the margin back down to 18 at one point late in the game before settling for the final 20-point margin.
Drechsler finished 7-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. She led Gettysburg's pressing defense with five steals in addition to contributing five rebounds and four assists. Fields notched a double-double, her second of the season, with a dozen boards, 10 of which came on the offensive end.
Moser accumulated seven rebounds and four steals to go with her dozen points, while Hartman went for nine points, six rebounds and three steals. Freshmen Kelley Andersen (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) and Caitlin Bay (Flemington, N.J./Immaculata) led the Bullet reserves with eight and seven points, respectively.
Laura Popovics led the Garnet with 17 points, nailing five three-pointers in the game, while Kathryn Stockbower posted a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Karen Berk also hit for double-figures with a dozen tallies, adding nine caroms.
For the game, Gettysburg out-rebounded the hosts 54-47, including grabbing 29 on the offensive end. The Bullets forced 27 turnovers which led to an equal number of points.
Gettysburg returns to conference play on Saturday, Jan. 19, with a doubleheader at Ursinus College. The Bullet women take the court first against the Bears at 1 p.m., followed by the men's contest at 3 p.m.
