Green Terror uses huge run to open second half to cruise to 70-55 win at Dickinson

CARLISLE, Pa. - Cara Thompson (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) netted a career-best 17 points to lead McDaniel to a 70-55 victory over Dickinson in Centennial Conference (CC) women's basketball action on Thursday.

The Green Terror (1-4, 1-1 CC) used staunch defense and a potent shooting attack to record its first victory of the season after its worst start since 1977-78. The visitors held the Red Devils (3-2, 1-2 CC) to the lowest shooting percentage of any of its first five opponents (34.5 percent) while shooting a season-best 47.5 percent from the floor.

Catherine Mills (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) added a season-best 11 points for McDaniel while Katelyn Fischer (Reisterstown, Md./Seton Keough) chipped in with 10. Ali Moreland (Davidsonville, Md./South River) was held to eight points - the first regular-season game she didn't reach double figures since Feb. 3, 2009, a stretch of 11 games.

Alesha Sisco paced Dickinson with a game-high 18 points.

Off an inbounds with two seconds on the shot clock, Thompson hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key for an 11-6 lead with 16:08 on the clock to cap a 9-0 burst over a 2-minute, 4-second span.

Clinging to a 20-17 lead with 9:16 on the clock, Thompson connected on three straight baskets over a 34-second span to account for a 6-0 run that forced a Dickinson timeout.

A Taylor Miller layup cut the Red Devil deficit to 26-21 with 3:56 to play but the Green Terror reeled off 10 of the half's final 13 points to take a 36-24 lead into the break.

Five straight points from Fischer,including a second-chance 3-pointer, stretched the lead to 41-24 before 49 seconds had elapsed in the second half.

Dickinson missed its first seven attempts from the floor before Carole Dempsey hit a 15-foot jumper with 15:53 to play, halting a 15-2 explosion out of the gate for McDaniel.

The Green Terror hit on six of its first nine attempts in the second half to open up a 51-26 advantage.

A Moreland jumper with 14:08 to play kept it a 25-point game at 53-28 but the Red Devils scored the next 10 points to close to 53-38 nearly four minutes later but could get no closer until the waning moments.

Seven of Mills' 11 points helped stretch the lead back to 67-46 and seal the victory with 3:27 on the clock.

Whitney Snoops (Millersville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) recorded a game-high 11 rebounds for McDaniel, which held a 47-28 advantage on the glass.

The Green Terror returns to action at home against Franklin & Marshall on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.

-30-