CARLISLE, Pa. – A slow start proved to be the difference as the Ursinus College women's basketball team fell to Dickinson College on Tuesday evening.

 
With the loss, the Bears fell to 4-8 overall and 1-6 in Centennial Conference action, meanwhile the Red Devils improved to 10-3 on the season and 7-1 in conference play.

 
Sophomore Chinwe Irondi led the Bears on offense with 12 points, five rebounds, behind shooting 55% from the field. Junior Natalie Mehl collected nine points and six rebounds while classmate Alison Lisanti tallied eight points. Junior Kelly Grant paced the offense with four assists as first-year Madison Smith finished with five points.

 

Each defense was stellar in the opening minutes of the contest as neither team could convert on their open opportunities until Dickinson's Caitlin Blackman scored the opening basket at the 6:52-mark. The Red Devils jumped out to a 6-0 lead, before sophomore Chinwe Irondi tallied her first basket after an offensive rebound and a layup with 1:51 remaining in the period. Moments later, Dickinson answered with a layup from Clair Marion giving the Red Devils an 8-2 advantage at the end of the first period.
 


The Bears jumped out to a 5-0 run in the opening minutes of the second period as Irondi collected another layup and junior Alison Listanti drilled a three-pointer off a pass from classmate Charlotte DiLello. With Dickinson leading 11-7, Ursinus bounced back with five consecutive points from Lisanti as she connected on her second three-pointer and converted on a floater from inside the paint. With Ursinus leading 12-11, Dickinson scored seven straight points to regain an 18-12 lead with 3:15 to play in the half. First-year Madison Smith ended the Red Devils run as she connected on a mid-range floater with 1:10 remaining in the period. Dickinson's Kate Montgomery collected on a three-pointer on the ensuing possession and a layup in the final seconds gave Dickinson a 23-14 lead at the break.
 
 

Each defense stepped up in the opening minutes of the second half, until Irondi connected on a layup attempt (K.Grant assist) at the 7:31-mark. Dickinson collected a 6-0 run over the next minute as Montgomery and Marion each converted on three-point plays to extend their lead to 13 at the 6:38-mark. Ursinus scored on their next two possessions as Smith collected one-of-two free throw attempts and first-year Makenna Foder collected her first points of the contest with a driving layup at the 5:54-mark. The Red Devils continued to answer each time after an Ursinus basket as Irondi collected a layup with 3:25 to play in the third. Dickinson's Jenna Weinstein answered with a layup of her own to keep the Bears deficit at 14.  Dickinson scored four consecutive points, before junior Kelly Grant knocked down back-to-back free throws with two minutes to play in the stanza. The Bears closed out the period with a 5-3 run to keep them within striking distance of the Red Devils heading into the fourth quarter.


 
With Dickinson leading 41-28, Ursinus struck first on their opening possession of the final quarter as junior Natalie Mehl scored on a driving layup, but the Red Devils answered with a layup from Marion to keep their lead at 13. Each team traded free throws at the 8:29-mark and would go scoreless over the next two minutes until Montgomery and Mehl traded baskets. Montgomery scored on back-to-back Dickinson possessions as Mehl kept the Bears alive with a three-pointer at the 6:09-mark. The Red Devils closed out the final six minutes on a 6-4 run to capture a 55-39 conference victory.


 
Ursinus shot 38.5% (15-39) from the field, 33.3% (3-9) from three-point range, and 50% (6-12) from the charity stripe. The Red Devils held a 26-19 advantage in the turnover department while holding a 29-27 edge in rebounds. Montgomery led the way for the Red Devils finishing with 15 points and six rebounds while Marion added 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
 


The Bears will return to action on Thursday as they host Haverford College for a Centennial Conference matchup at 6 p.m.