A Devil of a Time: Women's Basketball Claims CC Western Title with 77-55 Win at Dickinson

by Sports Information
2/14/02

CARLISLE, PA -- The Franklin & Marshall College women's basketball team added another title to their 2002 season resume, Centennial Conference Western Division Champions, as the Diplomats extinguished the Dickinson College Red Devils, 77-55 to claim the top seed in the upcoming Conference playoffs.

F&M clinches the Western Division title, a playoff spot and most importantly, the #1 seed in the West, as the Diplomats will now host a playoff game on Wednesday, February 20 versus Swarthmore College, which fell 70-45 to #1 Eastern Division seeded Muhlenberg College. Game time has not been set due to the possibility of a men and women's double-header with the Franklin & Marshall men's team.

Against the Red Devils, F&M would lead from opening tip-off to closing horn as Lauren Howanski (Sr., Gap, PA/Pequea Valley) nailed a jumper for a 2-0 lead just six seconds into the game, a lead the Diplomats would never relinquish in the game.

In the first half, F&M would use a 9-0 run to outdistance the Devils and build a 30-17 lead. Following a 12-2 run to close the half, Dickinson would trail by nine at intermission, 38-29.

But F&M would put the game away in the opening minutes of the second half, as Kelly Witkowski (Jr., Colts Neck, NJ/Marlboro) hit three field goals for six to spark a 15-5 spurt which pushed the lead to 50-34.

Witkowski finished the game with a season high 11 points, including her first collegiate three-point basket with 30 seconds left for the final points of the game. The basket snapped an 0-for-10 streak on treys by the junior guard, the longest among active Diplomats.

All-American guard Amy Kreitz (Sr., Allentown, PA/Salisbury) finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, while center Amy Abernathy (So., Far Hills, NJ/American School Paris) notched her 16th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Rebounding was the game to the game, as the Diplomats held a dominating 51-34 advantage on the boards, including a 22-10 margin in offensive rebounds.

Megan Shelley and Alexis Flavello led the Red Devils (9-15, 2-11 Centennial Conference) with 12 points, while Flavello was her team's leader on the boards with six rebounds.

F&M, which improves to 18-4, 11-2 in the Centennial Conference, has not lost since a 82-69 defeat at Western Maryland on December 4 as the Diplomats overcame a 3-4 start to win the Western Division.

In addition, the victory marks the most wins in a season by an F&M squad since the 1991 and 1992 teams won 19 games. The school record for wins in a season is 25, set by the 1988 and 1990 teams which finished 25-5 and 25-4, respectively.

The Diplomats will next be in action on Saturday at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland for a 3:00 p.m. game. If F&M defeats Hopkins, and Western Maryland wins the remainder of their scheduled games, Hopkins and the Green Terror will play a game playoff to see which program earns the Western Division #2 seed which will visit the East's #1 seed, Muhlenberg College, in the opening round of the playoffs.