By Hillary Kane
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College Shorewomen started off their 2011-2012 season with a pair of action-packed games, each resulting in nail biting finishes with a margin of only four points.
On Nov. 15, Washington traveled to host Catholic College to play their season opener. With 13:37 left of the first half the game was tied 6-6. Washington took control of the next 10 possessions and used a 10-0 run to move the score to 16-6, marking the biggest lead throughout the entire game. Catholic came back strong for the remaining minutes of the first half, leaving the score at halftime 24-20.
The second half was evenly matched, as both teams battled to secure the win. Washington came out on top, beating the Cardinals 48-46. Sophomore Kelly Mitchell lead the Shorewomen with 13 points, while sophomore Latisha Pledger totaled 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds totaling her 8th career double-double. Junior Erin Kile also added nine points to help Washington secure the win. Senior Meghan Tait recorded two steals and put up eight points, while senior Sally O’Donnell recorded three assists and three points.
The Shorewomen’s next game was against McDaniel College for a Centennial Conference matchup. The Green Terror came out on fire, leaving the score at halftime 45-29. Washington responded with a 9-0 run with 16:58 left of the second half, making the score 49-42. McDaniel responded, scoring the next four points, pushing the lead to 53-42. Washington answered McDaniel countering with a 14-4 run, just one point shy of matching the Green Terror’s 57 points. With 3:35 left in the game, McDaniel responded with a jumper improving to 59-56, marking the final points of the game.
O’Donnell had a team-high 11 points, while sophomores Bay and Fitzgerald followed closely, each notching 10 points. Fitzgerald collected a game-best 12 rebounds, marking her second career double-double. Tait distributed a game-best nine assists, while O’Donnell contributed five. Defensively, Fitzgerald and O’Donnell blocked two shots each. The Shorewomen led in rebounds, 44-42 and had a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Washington will kick off their first home competition against centennial conference opponent, Johns Hopkins on Tuesday Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m. Their next two games are on the road against conference competitors Haverford College (Dec. 1) and Muhlenberg College (Dec. 3).