BRYN MAWR, Pa. – The Bryn Mawr basketball team finally got back into action earlier Thursday evening, as the Owls hosted Gettysburg for a showdown at home. Despite facing off against the current top team in the Centennial Conference, there were plenty of positives to take from the final result as the Owls put up 34 points against the Bullets, their second-highest total against a Centennial Conference opponent so far this season. Jessica Smith led Bryn Mawr with nine points, while Aliya Stubenbord added another eight. Gettysburg got a double-double from Delaney Donohoe on 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Mackenzie Szlosek and Carly Rice also hit double figures in the 73-34 victory by the Bullets.

The Owls got off to a great start in the opening minutes of the contest, shutting down the Gettysburg attack and holding the Bullets scoreless for almost five minutes to start the game. Meanwhile, on the other end, Jessica Smith drained a pair of free throws after a hard drive to the rim, and then Sonja Meijer drained a jumper, giving the Owls a 4-0 lead and all the momentum early. However, Gettysburg finally got things going in the second part of the first quarter, knocking down a pair of threes and then hitting another jumper to open their scoring account. Smith made a layup on the other end off of a nice steal by Hallie Kern to get the Owls back within two points. Gettysburg would respond with two baskets of their own before Meijer knocked down another jumper for the hosts. The Bullets hit one more jumper in the closing seconds of the first quarter, putting an end to what was a competitive and entertaining first frame of the contest and giving the visitors a 14-8 advantage going into the second period.

That second frame started with two quick baskets from the Bullets, forcing the Owls into an early timeout. Sydney Collins earned a trip to the free throw line right out of that break and split a pair of free throws, but the bullets would run off 11 straight points over the next seven minutes to take a 30-9 lead. Bryn Mawr closed the quarter on a solid run of their own, however, as Smith knocked down a pair of free throws before putting home a layup with seconds to go in the half, making it a 30-13 contest at halftime.

In the third quarter, both sides finally found their offensive footing, with the teams combining for 45 points in that frame alone. Once again it was the Bullets getting off to a fast start, scoring six points right out of the gate. However, another smart timeout from the Owls helped the hosts settle in, as Stubenbord and Collins hit jumpers on back-to-back possessions to trim the Gettysburg advantage back under 20. Hannah Binder would score on back-to-back possessions herself a little later, and then Stubenbord drilled a three-pointer from the top of the arc with a couple minutes to go in the quarter. After Meijer hit another jumper, Stubenbord drilled her second deep three-pointer of the frame, this time off a nice pass from Sydney Collins. That would get the Owls to 29, but a layup in the final seconds of the quarter from Hannah Sauve would give the Bullets a 30-point advantage heading into the final frame.

Gettysburg once again scored three straight baskets to open the quarter, with Smith putting a halt to that run thanks to a free throw. Ella Kotsen would knock down another three-ball for the Owls midway through the quarter, but that would ultimately prove to be the final basket of the game for Bryn Mawr. Gettysburg's stingy defense held Bryn Mawr to just one more free throw over the final 5:45 of the contest, allowing the Bullets to ultimately stretch their advantage out to that 73-34 margin.

The Owls will now look forward to Saturday's contest at Franklin & Marshall, as their busy stretch of contests now gets underway. Because of all the January postponements for the Owls, Bryn Mawr is scheduled to play four games in the span of a week, starting with tonight's earlier contest, and they have 12 total games left over the next 23 days. Saturday's game against the Diplomats is slated for a 1:00 PM start.