LANCASTER, Pa. – The Swarthmore College women's basketball team was unable to hold on to a fourth-quarter lead and fell at Franklin and Marshall College, 63-57, in the Centennial Conference opener on Wednesday night.
 
The Garnet started strong and held a 17-8 advantage after the opening quarter. The Diplomats cut into the deficit in the second but Swarthmore remained on top, 31-27, at halftime. The Garnet took a three-point edge into the fourth but F&M outscored Swarthmore, 19-10, in the final period. The Diplomats ended the contest with a 16-6 run to come away with the victory.
 
Alyssa Hayashi led all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. She also led the Garnet with three assists and three steals. Norah Wingfield, Anna Hansson, and Carly Murphy all tallied nine points with Hansson grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- F&M scored the first bucket of the evening with a three-pointer before Swarthmore went to work, netting 15 straight points for a 15-3 advantage at the 3:09 mark. The Garnet shot 5-of-7 during the run and limited the Diplomats to 0-for-9 from the field at the defensive end. Swarthmore mainly kept F&M to the outside as seven of the Diplomats' attempts came from beyond the arc. Wingfield led the rally with seven points while Hansson and Hayashi added four apiece.
 
- F&M ended its scoring drought with five consecutive points then Murphy concluded the quarter with a jumper for a 17-8 Garnet lead after one. Murphy converted a pair of free throws to open the second but the Diplomats came back with nine of the next 10 points to close the gap to three (20-17) with 6:35 on the clock. However, Swarthmore recovered to go on a 9-0 surge and take its largest lead of the game (29-17) with 3:53 remaining. The Garnet went 4-of-7 from the floor as Hayashi and Carolina Lopez accounted for all of the scoring with five and four points respectively.
 
- F&M was able to narrow its deficit before halftime, finishing the period with a 10-2 run. The Diplomats shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including sinking a pair of three-pointers, to get within four (31-27) at the break. The two teams went back and forth during the third quarter. Swarthmore led by as many as eight during the stanza but F&M was able to claw within one (45-44) late in the frame before a Hansson layup gave the Garnet a three-point cushion (47-44) entering the fourth.
 
- Both teams struggled to begin the final period before Hayashi broke the ice with a three at the 7:17 mark. The Diplomats responded with a three of their own then Hansson made a shot at the line to give Swarthmore a 51-47 lead with 6:37 left. The Garnet then went more than three minutes without a basket as F&M recorded six points in a row to jump ahead, 53-51, with 3:27 to go. Lillian Czub made a layup for Swarthmore to even the score at 53 with 3:08 remaining.
 
- The Diplomats scored a layup on their next possession to take the lead for good as they finished the game with a 10-4 run. F&M shot 3-of-4 from the field while the Garnet were just 2-for-6. Swarthmore trailed by four (59-55) after a Hayashi jumper with 30 seconds to play but the Diplomats closed it out at the line, going 4-for-6 down the stretch.
 
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Hayashi 16
Rebounds: Hansson 13
Assists: Hayashi 3
Steals: Hayashi 3
Blocks: Four players 1
Threes: Hayashi 2
 
UP NEXT
The Garnet (3-5, 0-1 Centennial) look to bounce back at home on Saturday versus Washington College.