COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College women's basketball team started a bit slow, but once the Bears gained the lead, they never gave it up in a 73-43 victory over Centennial Conference foe Bryn Mawr on Thursday.
Every Bear stepped on the floor in the contest, sporting their depth, and all but two players were able to register a point.
Freshman Aliyah Stephens led the way as the only Ursinus (3-4, 1-2) player to log double-digit points. Her season-best 18 points and six rebounds were only part of the offensive onslaught by the Bears, as they didn't capture the lead until Stephens was able to grab a rebound on one end and lay in a basket on the other, giving the Bears at 12-10 lead. The Bears would go on a 6-2 run to close out the first quarter and open the second on a 12-0 run, ultimately taking a 35-24 lead into halftime.
Coach Margaret White started to rotate in her reserves in the second half, and the group seemingly sparked the offense. The Ursinus bench compiled 42 points against the Owls (0-5, 0-3), led by Stephens' 18. Freshman Elizabeth Burke logged nine minutes, scoring her first career points on a pair of free throws before drilling her first field goal on a 3-pointer.
Bryn Mawr closed to within 36-26 early in the third frame, but the Bears exploded for a 22-6 run over the remainder of the period, which sophomore Marisa DiLeo polished off with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
Sophomore Toni Suler went to work inside for eight points and five rebounds in the third quarter alone, including a three-point play off an inbounds pass. Suler came just short of a double-double, putting up eight points and pulling down nine rebounds. Classmate Lydia Konstanzer logged eight points, as did freshman Maya Kornfeld, who dished out a team-high five assists in her third start in a row.
The Bears forced 32 turnovers, recording 20 steals, and scored 34 points off those takeaways.
Halena Martin had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Bryn Mawr, with Cleo Elizabeth-Robertson adding eight and Meagan Murray-Bruce seven.
Ursinus moves to 47-0 all-time against Bryn Mawr, and its 73 points was the best output from the squad since the 2014-2015 season, when the Bears scored 84 against the Owls.
The Bears are back in action on Saturday at McDaniel.
