Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College women's basketball team knocked down 10 consecutive free throws late in the second half to help keep visiting Ursinus College at bay and help secure a 56-47 victory its Centennial Conference opener.
 
Gettysburg (3-0, 1-0 CC), which hasn't lost to Ursinus (1-2, 0-1 CC) on its home court since 2003, received a game-high 15 points from junior Emily Duggan (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City). Freshman Emily Gibbons (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) added a season-high 13 points, while senior Samantha Pagel (Harleysville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) tallied a dozen points on the strength of a 6-for-6 performance at the free throw line.
 
Jessica Porada and Alyssa Polimeni each posted 14 points to lead Ursinus.
 
Both teams struggled offensively in the opening minutes of the game, but Gibbons sparked the Bullets with a fast-break lay-up and three-pointer to kick off a 17-6 run over the final minutes of the first half. A lay-up by Pagel gave the hosts a 25-12 lead at the break.
 
After shooting just 5-of-32 (15.6 percent) in the opening stanza, Ursinus picked up the pace to start the final period and quickly erased the deficit. The lead was still 11 (33-22) following a lay-up by Gibbons at 16:02, but a 10-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Alyssa Polimeni made it 35-34 with 13 minutes left.
 
Still leading by one, Gettysburg attacked the basket with Pagel drawing back-to-back fouls and canning four consecutive free throws. Senior Jenna Swope (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop) added another freebie to push the lead to 42-36 at 8:59. She missed the second free throw, but that would be the last miss by the Bullets until less than a minute remained in the contest.
 
The lead grew to eight (44-36) at 5:09 following a pair of free throws by Duggan which kicked off the streak. Ursinus would claw its way to within three (48-45) with 1:30 left, but freshman Jamie Relin (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) and Swope would each connected on a pair of free throws to build the advantage to seven.
 
Pagel sealed the victory with a wide-open lay-up to make it 55-47 with 19 seconds left and Relin added a free throw with six ticks remaining.
 
Gettysburg was just 5-of-12 at the line before its streak of 10 makes. The Bullets finished 17-of-26 at the charity stripe overall. The hosts shot 19-of-41 (46.3 percent) from the field and out-rebounded the visitors 41-37. The Orange and Blue reserves out-scored the Ursinus bench 25-4.
 
Duggan tied her personal high by going 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from the line. She added six rebounds. Gibbons finished 5-of-8 from the floor and picked up five rebounds, while Pagel canned half of her six shots. Freshman Annie Reilly (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) ripped down a game-high eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
 
Gettysburg meets up with Swarthmore College inside Bream Gym this Saturday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m.