SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College women's basketball team put a wrap on the calendar year with a 59-53 triumph over Saint Mary's College of Maryland on Tuesday evening.
Vianna Kanyamiheto-Watson dazzled with a season-high 24 points on an incredibly efficient night from the floor. The rookie guard shot 7-of-10 from the field, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. She set a new season-best for threes made, while adding another season-high five assists to go along with four rebounds.
Catherine Chadwell and Carly Murphy also posted double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Chadwell grabbed a season-best 13 rebounds, notching her second double-double of her rookie campaign.
With the score tied after three quarters, Swarthmore finished the game strong with a 22-16 advantage in the final stanza. The Garnet took control of the quarter with 13-unanswered points during a four-minute span.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Kanyamiheto-Watson provided the Garnet with some early energy, draining a three-pointer to give the squad a 5-2 advantage. Swarthmore later built its lead to five points with a Murphy triple, but surrendered a 9-2 run to end the quarter at a two-point deficit, 14-12.
- Early in the second, the Seahawks boosted their lead with a three-pointer to take a five-point edge. Chadwell brought the Garnet back on track with a triple, which kickstarted a 13-5 swing. Kanyamiheto-Watson capped off the stretch with another deep ball to put Swarthmore ahead by three points. The Garnet maintained its three-point advantage at the conclusion of the half, 27-24.
- Swarthmore got off to a fast start in the second half, opening the quarter on an 8-1 run. Kanyamiheto-Watson added a layup and a three to score the opening five points of the stanza, before adding a three-pointer to create the game's first double-digit lead, 35-25.
- Later in the third, Saint Mary's found themselves back in the game with a 12-2 run to end the quarter. The Seahawks capitalized off a trio of three-pointers during the stretch, including two in the final two minutes, tying things up at 37-37.
- In the fourth, the Seahawks opened the scoring with a four-point play to take an early edge. Swarthmore then flipped momentum around with a 15-2 stretch, which lasted nearly five minutes. Kanyamiheto-Watson scored the opening five points of the run to help propel her team to a nine-point advantage, 52-43. The Garnet string together 13-unanswered points during the pivotal run.
- The Seahawks hung around with hot three-point shooting in the final two minutes. However, the visitors were unable to get key defensive stops as Swarthmore held on to a comfortable advantage to close the evening.
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Kanyamiheto-Watson 24
Rebounds: Chadwell 13
Assists: Kanyamiheto-Watson 5
Threes: Kanyamiheto-Watson 5
Steals: Chadwell 4
Blocks: Chadwell, Richardson 2
UP NEXT
The Garnet (3-5) return from winter break against Alvernia University on January 3.
