WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Owls basketball squad faced their first Centennial Conference opponent of the season earlier Saturday afternoon, as Bryn Mawr traveled down to Maryland to take on McDaniel. It was a close affair early on as the Owls looked to maintain their undefeated start to the season and win their fourth straight game. However, some strong defense from McDaniel and a few scoreless runs by the Owls helped the Green Terror ultimately claim a 77-29 victory on the afternoon. Jessica Smith led the Owls with nine points and six rebounds on the day, while McDaniel got 16 points off the bench from Katie Klein in the winning effort.

The Green Terror got the first bucket of the contest, but the Owls hung in early to keep things tight with a basket from reigning Centennial Conference Player of the Week Jessica Smith. The Green Terror followed with a couple more baskets, but Smith earned a trip to the free throw line a split a pair to make it just a 6-3 deficit for the Owls. The teams traded baskets again over the next minute, but then three buckets in a row gave McDaniel a nine-point lead. Hannah Binder put a stop to that run momentarily for the Owls, hitting a layup to get the Owls back within seven. A McDaniel three-pointer gave the hosts their first double-digit lead of the contest, but Sydney Collins helped Bryn Mawr close out the first quarter on a high note with a layup on a nice assist by Ella Kotsen.

Unfortunately for the Owls, things would go downhill in the second quarter as McDaniel's press defense began to bear fruits. After a missed jumper on their first possession of the frame, Bryn Mawr would turn the ball over on their ensuing six possessions. On the other end, McDaniel's offense just kept plugging away, converting most of those Owls turnovers into points. The Green Terror went on a 20-0 run to open the frame, and Bryn Mawr didn't score until there were just 27 seconds left in the period. That bucket, another from Smith, finally got Bryn Mawr into double-digits, but the Green Terror knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a commanding 40-11 lead into the halftime break.

Another sluggish start to the quarter for the Owls only helped McDaniel extend that advantage further. A free throw from Ella Kotsen with 5:49 left in the frame finally put a stop to another scoreless run, but the Green Terror had already built a 54-12 lead by that point. However, the Owls did start to get their offense going in the second part of that third quarter. Sonja Meijer made a nice move to the basket and earned a couple free throws, of which she made one. Then Binder did the same on an ensuing possession. Binder would make a layup a minute later, and then Zoe Boxill and Jessica Smith each knocked down a pair of free throws to get the Owls to 20. Kotsen made a deep jumper from the wing with under a minute to go in the frame, and then Bryn Mawr got another bucket just before time expired, giving the visitors their best quarter of the game.

Unfortunately, that offensive momentum didn't carry into the final quarter for Bryn Mawr. Ella Kotsen got the Owls on the board with a couple of free throws 4:20 into the period, and then Hallie Kern got into the scorebook with a free throw of her own with 2:35 left to play in the frame. On the next possession, Smith earned another trip to the free throw line herself, drawing a foul on a fastbreak attempt and sinking the ensuing pair of free throws. However, the Owls were unable to make a basket from the floor in the final quarter and McDaniel ultimately claimed a 77-29 win on the day.

Turnovers proved to be one of the key issues in the contest, as McDaniel was able to force Bryn Mawr into 27 giveaways on the day and score 33 points off of those turnovers. Bryn Mawr did a good job on the boards in the contest, pulling down 31 rebounds compared to just a few more from the Green Terror.

With the loss the Owls fall to 3-1 and 0-1 in league play, but Bryn Mawr will be right back in action on Tuesday with another chance to grab a Centennial Conference victory. The Owls will wrap up their four-game road streak with a contest at Muhlenberg on November 23, with game time set for 6:00 PM in Allentown.