February 15, 2007
Shorewomen Stuff Swarthmore, 74-62
Washington Dominates Garnet on the Boards

SWARTHMORE, PA – Visiting Washington College used a commanding 61-28 rebounding advantage to post a 74-62 win over host Swarthmore College tonight in Swarthmore, PA. The Shorewomen improved to 12-12 overall and 6-11 in conference play with the win, while the Garnet fell to 4-19 and 1-16. Washington's 12th win matches its highest win total in eight years and gives the Shorewomen their first victory over the Garnet in eight years, snapping a 13-game losing streak in the series.

The Shorewomen never trailed in the game and held a 38-33 lead at halftime. Washington collected 25 offensive rebounds in the game, just three fewer offensive rebounds than Swarthmore had total rebounds. Junior guard Elise Conway (Silver Spring, MD/Paint Branch) led the charge on the boards, hauling down a game-high 17 to go along with nine points. Conway had seven offensive rebounds, equaling Swarthmore's offensive rebounding total as a team.

Washington senior guard LaToya Turner (Chestertown, MD/Kent County) scored a team-high 15 points for the Shorewomen. Turner also grabbed six rebounds and dished out a game-high four assists. Freshman center Melissa Joseph (Selden, NY/Newfield) scored a career-high 13 points, tallied six rebounds, and blocked two shots in just 15 minutes of play off the bench. Sophomore guard Brianne Slizofski (Collegeville, PA/Pius X) added 11 points and seven boards, while junior forward Brenda Lucas (New London, PA/Avon Grove) contributed 10 points and six rebounds.

Karen Berk scored a game-high 30 points, hauled down 11 rebounds, blocked two shots, and swiped three steals in a losing cause for Swarthmore. Laura Popovics added 13 points for the Garnet.

Washington's last win over Swarthmore was a 56-55 win in 1999 that gave the Shorewomen a 12-0 advantage in the all-time series. Since then, the Garnet had won 13 in a row over the Shorewomen to take the lead in the series before Washington evened things up win tonight's victory.

The Shorewomen went 12-12 in 2000-01. Prior to that, Washington's highest win total came during the 1998-99 season when the team went 15-9.

The Shorewomen close out their season Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. home game against 21st-ranked McDaniel.

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