true Gwynedd-Mercy 86, Baptist Bible 81

BOX SCORE

CLARKS SUMMIT, PA. -- Gwynedd-Mercy defeated a persistent Baptist Bible team Wednesday night, 86-81, for their twelfth win a row.  The Griffins shot a blazing 51.7% (31-of-60) from the floor in holding off the Defenders.

GM (17-6, 13-1 CSAC) paced five players in double figures led by senior Brittany Neill (Woodlyn, Pa./Archmere Academy Del.) with 16.  The Griffins' bench outscored the Baptist Bible reserves, 49-4, in the contest with Natasha Matthews (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) scoring 12 points and pulling down five rebounds.  Nicole Dougherty (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) and Kelsey Yori (Folsom, Pa./Ridley) chipped in 11 apiece respectively.

Kacee Rava scored 27 points along with 15 rebounds, both game highs, for Baptist Bible (15-6, 10-3 CSAC).

The first half saw the Defenders jump out to a quick lead but the Griffins responded with an 8-0 run on the strength of back-to-back three pointers to take a 14-10 lead.  Gwynedd would later use a 13-2 run to take a 30-20 lead, their largest of the game, with just over five minutes remaining in the half.  The Griffins shot 48.3% in the first stanza and knocked down six three pointers.  GM led, 41-36, at the halftime break. 

GM used a 7-0 run in the early stages of the second half to extend their lead to 52-44 at the 16:12 mark.  Two Dougherty Layups capped another run a 6-0 run this time to lead 67-59 with nine minutes remaining. The Defenders were able to cut the lead down to one point three times, with the last coming on a three-pointer from Ruth Butts for an 82-81 with 1:32 remaining. BBC had a look at the end of the game to tie but a defensive stop and two Neill free throws helped ice the victory.

The Griffins would connect on 17-21 free throws (81%) for the game.  GM outrebounded Baptist Bible, 31-29, with Matthews grabbing a team-high five caroms.

Butts finished with 18 points and Melanie Williams and Jessica White added 16 and 11 respectively for the Defenders.

Gwynedd returns home on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off against CSAC rival Neumann University. With a win, the Griffins can lock up the top playoff seed and home-court advantage.