SWARTHMORE, Pa.–Defense was the name of the game on Thursday night as the Swarthmore College women's basketball team (3-11, 2-6 CC) faced off against the Dickinson Red Devils (7-6, 4-4 CC) in Tarble Pavilion. Unfortunately, the Garnet fell 43-46 as a late comeback attempt came up just short.
Swarthmore limited the visitors to 21 percent from the field and blocked nine shots by the Red Devils, with three coming from sophomore
Bridget Scott and two by classmate
Raina Williams. Senior
Jessica Jowdy led all players with 15 points and chipped in eight rebounds while
Hayley Raymond scored nine to go with a block and steal.
Abbey Deckard snagged a team-high 10 boards, reaching double figures in that category for the third time this season.
After a sluggish first half for both sides, the offense began to pick up in the third quarter. Dickinson held a 10-point advantage at 23-13 before Swarthmore began to chip away at its lead. Raymond and Jowdy hit consecutive jumpers and Deckard drained one of her own to counter a Red Devil trey. Shortly after, Williams converted a three-point play to kick off a 7-0 run that would tie the game at 26 apiece with 2:49 remaining. Dickinson regained its lead in the final minute, but a free throw from
Jordyn Bell made it a one-point game heading into the fourth.
The Garnet picked up their first lead of the contest early in the period with a three-ball by
Maggie O'Neil before the Red Devils scored five consecutive points. Jowdy trimmed the deficit with an and-one conversion and a layup by Scott put Swarthmore ahead with 5:58 to go. After Dickinson re-asserted itself, O'Neil sank another trey to put the Garnet within one.
Trailing by three with under a minute left, Swarthmore extended its possession with two offensive boards and Williams hit a layup for a slim 43-44 deficit. The visitors, however, could not be denied and came away with a 46-44 victory, their second straight in conference.
The Garnet remain at home for another Centennial Conference fixture against McDaniel on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 1 :00 p.m.
