COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College women's basketball team outscored visiting Bryn Mawr College, 40-18, in the second half en route to a decisive 72-43 victory over the Owls on Wednesday evening from Helfferich Hall.
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 14-7 overall and 8-3 in Centennial Conference action, while the Owls dip to 7-13 on the season and 0-10 in conference play.
Junior guard
Ava Possenti highlighted the contest by breaking the Ursinus College single season record for steals (89) previously held by Betsy Laskowski (88, 1993) and Heather Colvin (88, 1993). Possenti totaled 12 points, three assists, and set a career-high with eight steals. Senior forward
Chinwe Irondi paced the Bears offense posting her 12th double-double this season with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward
Madison Smith added 19 points and seven rebounds, while classmate
Makenna Foder notched a career-high nine assists.
The Bears jumped out to a 5-0 advantage through the first minute of action as Possenti connected on a three-pointer and Irondi converted on a layup. After a Bryn Mawr basket, Ursinus used a 6-2 run behind a pair of steals from the Bears' defense to earn an 11-4 lead with 5:55 remaining in the quarter. Bryn Mawr responded with a 6-2 run of their own to cut their deficit to 13-10 with 3:11 to play in the period. The Bears closed out the period with a pair of layups from Irondi and two free throws from sophomore
Erin Glanz to increase their lead to 19-12 at the end of the first quarter. Ursinus carried the momentum into the second stanza as Irondi connected on an old fashioned three-point play to increase their lead to 22-12. The Owls responded with a 12-0 run to erase their deficit and gain a 24-22 advantage with 3:20 remaining in the first half. Next, Ursinus answered with a 10-2 run behind Smith and Irondi combining for eight of the points to regain a 32-26 halftime lead.
The Bears opened the second half with back-to-back baskets from Smith and Irondi, while a Bryn Mawr layup made the score 36-28, Ursinus, at the 8:15-mark. Next, a 10-2 run from the Bears stretched their lead to 46-30 as the run was highlighted by Foder finding Possenti for her second three-pointer of the contest. The Ursinus defense continued to cause issues for the Owls as the Bears closed out the third period on an 8-2 run to extend their advantage to 54-32. Ursinus continued to play well in the final stanza as they outscored Bryn Mawr, 18-11 in the final en route to the 72-43 victory.
Ursinus shot 40.8% (29-of-71) from the floor, 14.3% (2-of-14) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 100% (12-of-12) at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Owls shot 36.2% (17-of-47) from the field, 11.1% (1-of-9) from three-point range, and 100% (8-of-8) at the charity stripe. The Bears held a 48-30 advantage from points within the paint, and a 32-13 edge in points off turnovers. Bryn Mawr's Jessica Smith led the Owls with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bears return to action on Saturday, February 8th as they travel to Baltimore, Maryland for a Centennial Conference matchup against Johns Hopkins University at 2 p.m.
