LANCASTER, PA - Dickinson College's Patrice Johnson connected on 11-of-20 field goal attempts and one-of-three at the free throw line for a game high 24 points to lead the Red Devils to a 71-60 win at Franklin & Marshall College in Centennial Conference women's basketball action.
Leading 57-45 with 7:20 remaining in the second half, the Devils (13-1, 8-1 Centennial Conference) saw their lead melt as point guard Dana Johns (Jr., York, PA/Eastern York) knocked down jumpers at 6:35 and 5:18 before guard Christy Strunk (Jr., Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) drained a three-pointer at 4:36 and a lay-up at 3:03 to pull the Diplomats to within 57-54.
However, Dickinson turned up the heat as Johnson swished a three-pointer at 2:43 to ignite a 6-0 run with a fast break lay-up by Megan Shelley off a steal by Johnson and a free throw by Allyson Teaton for a 63-54 lead with 1:44 left on the game clock.
Franklin & Marshall failed to cut the lead to less than seven points the rest of the way as the Devils held on for their ninth straight win of the season.
Overall, Shelley finished the game with 12 points, while Lauren Housel added nine points and nine rebounds. Teaton chipped in nine points and Jessica Howard tallied five points and a game high five assists to key the Dickinson victory.
For Franklin & Marshall, Johns finished with team highs in points (22), assists (four) and steals (three) to lead the Diplomats. Center Lauren Dodrill (Sr., Timonium, MD/Roland Park) added 13 points and 13 rebounds for her Conference leading ninth double-double of the season, while forward Emily Weaver (So., Prince Frederick, MD/Calverton) registered 10 points and seven rebounds.
The teams fought back-and-forth in the first half as F&M reeled off a 5-0 run behind a lay-up by guard Maura Lentz (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Catonsville) and a put back and free throw by forward/guard Brittany Braxton (Fr., Pearl River, NY/Nanuet) to go ahead 17-12 with 10:56 remaining in the first half.
Franklin & Marshall pushed the lead out to 24-18 before the Devils fired off a 9-0 run to go ahead 27-26 with 1:52 left in the half. The Diplomats retook the lead at 28-27 on a lay-up by Weaver, but Dickinson countered with a put back by Johnson.
F&M appeared primed to take a lead into the locker room as Johns drained a three-pointer and a foul shot for a 32-29 advantage with 52.2 seconds left, but Johnson knocked down a basket at :31 and a free throw at 25.2 to knot the game at 32-32 before Shelley swished a lay-up with one second remaining in the half for a 34-32 Dickinson lead at the break.
The Devils defense then took over holding F&M without a point or a basket for the opening 6:01 of the second half while finishing off a 15-0 scoring streak as Johnson made the second of back-to-back lay-ups for a 44-32 Dickinson lead with 14:53 left in the game.
Dodrill made the front-end of a pair of free throws at 13:59 to break F&M's cold streak from the floor, but Dickinson inched the lead out to 48-35 following a jumper by Christine Giordano with 12:27 remaining on the clock.
F&M pulled to within seven points at 48-41 with 9:52 left as Johns made a pair of free throws, but Jen Reitmeyer hit a lay-up and Shelley connected on a three-pointer from the top of the arc for a 53-41 lead at the 8:16 mark as the Devils held on for the win.
The win marks the first for Dickinson at the Mayser Center since January 25, 1996 when the Red Devils knocked off the Diplomats 83-71. In addition, the win snaps a three game F&M win streak against Dickinson dating back to a 67-64 Devils win in Carlisle on January 25, 2003.
Franklin & Marshall (5-9, 4-5 Centennial Conference) will return to action on January 202 at Haverford College. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.
