Bryn Mawr Holds Off Brandywine 65-56

MEDIA, Pa. -- Bryn Mawr held a one-point lead entering the final quarter and used a late run to defeat the Penn State Brandywine women's basketball team 65-56 on Thursday night.

Bryn Mawr owned a 49-48 edge with 7:15 to play before outscoring Brandywine 8-2 during a stretch of nearly five minutes to build a 57-50 lead. A free throw from Jazmyn Kemp (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen), followed by a steal and fast-break layup by Raelyn Loper (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) cut the deficit to four, but Bryn Mawr held off the Lions by scoring its last eight points from the free throw stripe during the game's final 1:49.

Sierra Diawara (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) topped the Lions in scoring with 12 points, while Kemp added 10 points, two blocked shots and two steals. Trinell Watson (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville), Dairayonna Stewart-Harold (New Castle, Del./William Penn) and Cassidy Tolbert (Austell, Ga./Pebblebrook) all contributed eight points.

Brandywine battled back from a three-point deficit to take the lead through one quarter thanks to a pair of baskets from Kemp during the period's final 50 seconds.

Neither team held a lead of larger than three points during the second period until Diawara sank a pair of free throws to give Brandywine a 31-26 advantage. The Owls answered the Lions' biggest lead of the game with six consecutive points during the final 1:13 to take a 32-31 lead into intermission.

Bryn Mawr scored six of the first eight points of the third quarter to lead by five and moved its edge to seven with 3:16 remaining in the period, but Brandywine answered with the final six points. Tolbert made a layup, Diawara buried a triple and Taylor Mims (Yeadon, Pa./Penn Wood) knocked down a free throw to get the Lions within one after 30 minutes.

The Owls used the free throw line to pull away from the Lions in the fourth, scoring 10 of their 18 points during the quarter at the charity stripe. Bryn Mawr sank 22 of its 30 free throw attempts overall, while Brandywine shot 13-of-22 at the line.

Tolbert grabbed a team-high six rebounds and collected three steals, while Watson pulled in five boards and was one of four players with two assists.

Brandywine (1-2) is set to host Ursinus Saturday at 1:00 PM.