BRYN MAWR, Pa. – All 13 players scored as the Ursinus College women's basketball team posted a 62-48 non-conference victory at Bryn Mawr tonight, their 43rd consecutive triumph over the Owls.
No one scored in double figures, but everyone made a contribution for Ursinus (11-12), which scored 25 points in the first quarter and led by as much as 27 less than 24 hours removed from a Centennial Conference setback at the hands of Franklin & Marshall. Sophomore guard Rachel Guy led the way with nine points and senior forward Jessica Porada added eight for the Bears, whose starters all played less than half the game before giving way to the bench.
Ursinus got plenty of help from some new faces. Freshman guard Kaci McNeave finished with season highs of seven points and five rebounds. Fellow rookies Kennedi Monteith (three) and Madison Dew (two) scored the first points of their collegiate careers, and senior guard Carla Maccaroni recorded her first field goal of the season.
The Bears have not lost to Bryn Mawr (3-19) since the 1991-92 season, and were never in danger of doing so on this night. Porada, Guy, and senior forward Elana Roadcloud scored during a 6-0 opening run, and Ursinus opened up a double-digit lead on a lay-up by junior guard Olivia Kane that made it 19-9 with 3:22 left in the first quarter.
A 3-pointer by McNeave and a succeeding bucket by junior guard Libby Lannon gave the Bears a 25-11 advantage after one period and, after the teams exchanged matching 10-point second stanzas, Ursinus pulled away with a big third-quarter run. The Owls cut the deficit to 35-23 on the first possession of the second half, but Ursinus held the home side scoreless for the next eight minutes and rung up 15 unanswered points to put the contest out of reach.
Senior guard Alyssa Polimeni collected six points, five rebounds, and three assists for the Bears, while Lannon registered four steals to go with six points of her own. Freshman guard Brielle Clarke corralled a season-best six boards, and Roadcloud complemented seven rebounds with five points.
The three assists for Polimeni gave her 341 for her career, moving her past Sarah Hennessey (2005-08) and into second place on the program's all-time list.
Erica Dwyer led all scorers with 19 points and Elizabeth Chan chipped in ten for Bryn Mawr.
Ursinus now braces for its critical closing stretch, a pair of games against Centennial Conference playoff teams. With its postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Bears welcome 15th-ranked Muhlenberg to Helfferich Hall for Senior Day on Saturday, February 20 before the regular-season finale at Gettysburg the following Monday.