By Sam Ahmed
The Bryn Mawr basketball team closed out the 2009 portion of its schedule Saturday afternoon, suffering a 39-72 loss to McDaniel in Centennial Conference action.
After seven lead changes over first eleven minutes of action, McDaniel (3-4/3-2 CC) took the lead for good as Ashley Lyles made a baseline jumper with 8:37 remaining. The Terror ended the half on a 14-1 run to take a 28-16 lead into the half. Senior Shanika Bridges-King scored the Owls’ lone point over the final 8:49 with a free throw at 3:00.
Bryn Mawr’s (1-7/0-6 CC) largest lead of the first half came at 16:37 when a three-pointer by junior co-captain Emilie Naccarato broke a 2-2 deadlock. A basket by Lindsey Darvin and two by Caroline Heffernan also gave the Owls the lead throughout the first eleven minutes of the half.
McDaniel started the second half on a 27-7 run that ate up more than 12 minutes of action as they took a commanding 55-23 lead. Over the next 7:30, Bryn Mawr registered 14 points by five different players. Bridges-King and Darvin added four points each while Heffernan, Naccarato and Rudi Vanzin chipped in with two apiece.
Leading the Terror with a game-high 19 points was Ali Moreland. Katelyn Fischer and Cara Thompson each added 10 points while Emma Adams grabbed seven rebounds.
For the Owls, Darvin ended the day with 13 while Bridges-King tallied 11. Bridges-King and Heffernan grabbed seven rebounds each while Naccarato dished out five assists.
Today’s game marks the final game to be played in Schwartz Gymnasium for the 2009-10 season as the gym receives a $7 million face-lift. Bryn Mawr will be playing home games next semester at Haverford.
The Owls will return to action after the New Year when they travel to Allentown to face Cedar Crest on Jan. 5. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7 p.m.