WESTMINSTER, Md. – Franklin & Marshall used a 9-0 run midway through the first half to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point advantage en route to a 77-60 Centennial Conference (CC) women's basketball victory over McDaniel on Saturday.

Steph Perez (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) scored 14 points to lead the Green Terror (7-11, 4-10 CC) while Rachael Rybak (Reisterstown, Md./Franklin) netted 10 of her 12 points in the first half.

Alexa Barbush led four players in double figures for the Diplomats (12-5, 9-3 CC) with 25 points. Kristina McCarty chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Allison Bauer added 14 while Megan Pauley had 11 points and six assists.

Trailing 17-15 on an Emillee Bosley (Oakland, Md./Southern Garrett) 3-pointer, Pauley tied the game for the fourth time, hitting a jumper with 11:17 to play in the first half.

Two Barbush free throws and a Colleen Bott three-point play gave the visitors a 22-17 lead at the halfway point of the stanza before Elizabeth Snyder stretched the lead to seven with two free throws at the 9:26 mark.

Three straight points from Nikki Ostrow (Silver Spring, Md./Blake) closed the deficit to 24-20 with 8:44 on the clock but Franklin & Marshall countered with seven of the game's nine points to stretch the lead to nine on a Bauer 3-pointer with 5:49 to play.

McCarthy pushed the lead to as many as 15 before Rybak hit a 3-pointer in the final 36 seconds of the half to make it a 41-29 game at the break.

A Barbush jumper and Bauer triple made it a 51-34 game with 15:14 remaining in the second half before Perez hit a third-chance basket 1:14 later to close the gap to 15.

Elizabeth Snyder responded with a three-point play that gave the Diplomats an 18-point lead – its largest of the game – with 13:16 to play.

An Allie Eader (Ijamsville, Md./Linganore) free throw, five straight points from Stephanie Fish (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) and two Perez free throws sliced the deficit to 10 with 11:56 remaining.

A Barbush three-point play and two Fish free throws made it a 57-46 game before Pauley converted back-to-back buckets to stretch the lead back to 15 just 2:05 after McDaniel had pulled within 10.

Emma Wingerd (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) led the way on the glass for the Green Terror with eight boards to go with three blocked shots. Perez added a season-best six rebounds and two assists.

Lauren Ballenger (Silver Spring, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) recorded five points, three rebounds and two assists in her first collegiate start.

McDaniel, which wrapped a stretch of six games in 12 days, returns to action at Bryn Mawr on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.

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