Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. – Gettysburg College cut a 12-point second-half deficit to just four with two minutes remaining in its Centennial Conference match up with host Franklin & Marshall College on Thursday night, but the host Diplomats canned 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch to hold off the visitors for a 74-65 decision in the Mayser Center.

Sophomore Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) led Gettysburg (8-8, 5-4 CC) with 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while junior Allie Drechsler (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) poured in 11 points. Freshman Sara Kinsley (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) produced one her best all-around games for the Bullets, notching nine points, 11 rebounds, and four blocked shots.

Beth Holt led Franklin & Marshall (7-8, 5-4 CC) with 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers, and connected on 9-of-10 attempts at the charity stripe. Sarah Meisenberg was 10-of-12 from the free throw line as part of her 19-point performance.

Leading 62-50 with 5:21 remaining, the Diplomats looked to be well on their way to avenging a 75-70 loss to the Bullets in the semifinals of the conference tournament last season. Sparked by an offensive rebound and putback by Kinsley just inside the four-minute mark, Gettysburg notched 10 of the next 12 points to slice the deficit to four (64-60) with two minutes remaining.

The visitors turned up the on-the-ball pressure with a full-court press, but Meisenberg drew a quick foul. She hit both free throws and following a missed three-pointer by the Bullets, she earned another trip to the line and another pair of makes.

Moser kept Gettysburg in the mix with an offensive rebound off a missed trey and converted the putback, drawing a foul in the process. She polished off the old-fashioned three-point play at the charity stripe, pulling the Bullets to 68-63 with 1:32 left.

After Franklin & Marshall made 1-of-2 attempts at the line, Gettysburg missed an opportunity to cut the deficit to one possession as two shot attempts were off target. The Bullets missed five of their last six shots from the field in the final 1:20, while the Diplomats converted at the free throw line with five makes in six attempts, all by Holt.

Gettysburg came out with the lead to start the contest on a three-pointer by junior Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) and led by as many as six twice in the opening half, the last on a lay-up by senior Margaret White (Burke, Va./James W. Robinson) which made it 21-15 at 12:05.

Franklin & Marshall reeled off a 9-0 run to grab the lead before a 6-0 spurt by the Bullets put them back ahead 27-24 with 7:16 remaining in the stanza. That would be the visitor's last lead as the Diplomats ended the first half on a 12-2 run to take a 36-29 advantage at the break.

Gettysburg shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) from the field in the contest, while Franklin & Marshall shot slightly better at 44.9 (22-of-49). The Bullets held a slight edge on the glass (38-34), including 18 caroms on the offensive end, but the Diplomats were 24-of-31 at the free throw line, compared to just 13-of-19 by the visitors.

Adding into the mix for Gettysburg was Fields with seven points and five rebounds, while sophomore Mary Spicer (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) added eight points and four rebounds.

Meisenberg was Franklin & Marshall's leading rebounder with eight and tallied four assists and three steals. Cara Landolfi finished with 14 points and seven boards, while Amanda Miceli posted eight points and three assists.

Gettysburg returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Haverford College at 1 p.m.