CHESTERTOWN, Md. – Senior guard Ava Possenti set a new career high with 28 points and five 3-pointers, leading the Ursinus women's basketball team to a 53-48 Centennial Conference victory at Washington College on Saturday afternoon.
 
 
With the win, Ursinus improved to 9-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Shorewomen fell to 6-8 on the season and 1-3 in the Centennial Conference. After scoring a previous career-high 24 points against Muhlenberg on Wednesday, Possenti continued her hot stretch with a game-high 28 points, six rebounds and five steals. Senior forward Madison Smith added nine points and six rebounds, while junior Erin Glanz chipped in six points.
 
 
Both offenses struggled early in the first quarter as each defense limited scoring opportunities. Washington College held a 4-0 lead with 5:24 remaining before adding another basket at the 4:21 mark. The Bears' defense then held the Shorewomen scoreless for the rest of the period. First-year Anna Chimento scored at the 3:45 mark, and sophomore Ruth O'Keeffe added a pair of free throws to close the quarter with Ursinus trailing 6-4.
 
 
Ursinus bounced back to open the second quarter as Possenti and senior Makenna Foder scored to give the Bears an 8-6 lead. O'Keeffe and Possenti followed with layups to extend the advantage to 12-6 with 5:31 remaining in the half. Washington College answered with 11 straight points, including three consecutive 3-pointers, to regain a 17-12 lead with 2:40 to play. After holding the Shorewomen without a field goal for 9 minutes, 44 seconds, Ursinus closed the half with a Possenti 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 17-15 at halftime.
 
 
Possenti and Glanz each connected from beyond the arc to open the second half, though Ursinus still trailed 23-21 with 7:25 remaining. Possenti and Smith combined for nine straight points to spark an 11-5 run, and the Bears carried a 36-31 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
 
Glanz opened the final period with another 3-pointer, but Washington College responded with three straight points to make it 39-36 with 7:31 remaining. Possenti took over for the Bears, scoring 10 points over the next two minutes on two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 47-40 at the 5:58 mark. The Shorewomen cut the deficit to four twice, but Possenti answered each time to secure the 53-48 victory. She scored 13 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter as Ursinus earned its third straight win.
 
 
 
The Bears shot 46.3% (19 of 41) from the field, 43.8% (7 of 16) from three-point range and 50% (8 of 16) from the free-throw line. Washington College shot 35.3% (18 of 51) overall, 29.4% (5 of 17) from beyond the arc and 41.2% (7 of 17) at the line. Each team scored 20 points off turnovers, with Ursinus holding a slim 32-31 rebounding edge.
 
 
Ursinus returns to action Wednesday, January 14th, when it hosts Haverford for a 4 p.m. game inside Helfferich Hall.