2014 Centennial Conference Women's Basketball Championship

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College women's basketball team will look to build on its opening playoff victory as it faces host and top seed Haverford College in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Championship on Friday, Feb. 28.
 
Gettysburg (16-9) opened the conference playoffs with a strong showing at Muhlenberg College Wednesday night. The Bullets pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 20 down the stretch en route to a 66-51 win. It was one of the best all-around offensive performances this season for the squad as four players reached double-figures, a feat accomplished only one other time this season.
 
"I thought we played pretty well," said Head Coach Mike Kirkpatrick. "Our balance was exceptional. If we get that kind of team effort, we become stronger offensively. It was a total team effort."
 
Senior Alyssa Isler (New Hope, Pa./New Hope-Solebury) tied a season high with 15 points, while sophomore Emily Duggan (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City) finished one point shy of her personal best with 14 points. Senior Caroline Murphy (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) added 13 points and a season-high 14 boards and sophomore Jessica Porter (Narberth, Pa./Lower Merion) poured in 10 points from the bench.
 
Gettysburg canned 19-of-21 free throws and tied a season high with seven made three-pointers in the opening round at Muhlenberg. The Bullets also dished out 17 assists, marking the team's second-best total of the season.
 
Now Gettysburg will turn its attention toward the semifinals and a meeting with host and top seed Haverford College (21-3) on Friday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. The Fords edged the Bullets in both meetings this season, earning a 64-56 win in Haverford on Jan. 14 and picking up a 55-52 win in Gettysburg on Feb. 15. It's a meeting of two of the top defenses in the Centennial Conference with Haverford and Gettysburg ranking first and second, respectively, in field-goal percentage defense.
 
Haverford is attempting to do what Gettysburg did last season: serve as host of the conference championship for the first time and win the program's first conference title. The Fords earned the top seed with steady and consistent effort this winter, but the Bullets will try to capitalize on momentum to pull off the upset in Friday's semifinal.
 
"Momentum is a big key," said Kirkpatrick. "We played well against them, although they beat us by three here. We didn't have the consistency in scoring across the board, but if we can get that I think it becomes a real interesting contest. I think like most games between them and us it will come down to the last couple minutes and who converts free throws, who converts possessions, and who gets stops."
 
In Friday's second semi, McDaniel College (19-5) will square off with Johns Hopkins University (17-7). The two semifinal winners will turn right around and play in for the championship and the conference's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
 
Ticket prices for the event are $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 13-18. There is no charge for children under 12 and students from participating schools with ID. More information regarding the Centennial Conference Championship can be found here: http://www.centennial.org/sports/wbkb/Championships.