Swarthmore, Pa. (Jan. 3, 2026) - Alvernia University (5-6) fended off a late comeback attempt by Swarthmore College (3-6) to hang on for a 66-65 win over the Garnet on Saturday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action at Swarthmore.

The Golden Wolves led by ten with just over three minutes to play, but Swarthmore quickly erased Alvernia's lead and got within one with 90 seconds to play. After a minute of scoreless action, a Taryn Woodson layup gave Alvernia a three point lead. Ryleigh Poole then made one of two free throw attempts with four seconds to play to give Alvernia a crucial four point advantage. The Garnet knocked down a three as time expired, but Poole's free throw gave Alvernia enough of an advantage to secure the 66-65 win.

How it Happened

• Alvernia opened the scoring with an Oliva Burke 3-pointer late in the first minute of the game. The Golden Wolves then took a 6-2 lead on a Jordyn Ingelido 3-pointer a minute later. A layup from Taryn Woodson off an Olivia Burke steal gave the Golden Wolves 10-5 advantage with 6:18 to play in the opening frame.
• The Garnet used a four and a half minute scoreless stretch by the Golden Wolves to take a 15-10 lead on Alvernia. But, a Kyla Reed 3-pointer got Alvernia back on track with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter, and a Jennah DeGout layup evened the game at 15-15 with under a minute to go. The Garnet closed out the quarter with a made free throw to take a narrow 16-15 lead into the second quarter.
• Alvernia opened the second quarter with a Reed 3-pointer to retake the lead, 18-16, and made it a 20-16 game on a Meghan Ruth Layup 90 seconds into quarter. 
• The Garnet came back within two, 22-20, with seven minutes to play in the quarter. After a nearly two minutes scoreless stretch for both sides, another Reed 3-pointer built Alvernia's lead back up to five, 25-20, as the quarter approached its midpoint.
• The Golden Wolves kept rolling and five straight points from DeGout gave Alvernia a ten point advantage, 30-20 with 3:19 to play in the quarter. 
• Reed knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the half to give Alvernia the 33-23 advantage with 1:30 to play in the half, and a Samthana Wade three made it a 13 point game, 36-23 with under a minute to go. The Garnet hit a three pointer of their own to get back within ten, 36-26, going into the half. Alvernia finished the first half with seven made threes.
• Swarthmore opened the second half outsourcing Alvernia 9-4 in the first three minutes of the quarter to cut Alvernia's lead down to five, 40-35. But, the Golden Wolves built their lead back up to ten over the next three minutes, and reached a double-digit advantage, 49-39, on a DeGout layup and free throw.
• Alvernia maintained a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the quarter. Alvernia made it an 11 point game, 54-43, on a DeGout layup and took a 54-44 lead into the final ten minutes.
• Both sides exchanged points in the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter. An Alani White layup off a Woodson steal gave Alvernia the nine point advantage, 59-50, with seven minutes to play. Another layup from White followed by a DeGout layup a few minutes later gave Alvernia a 63-53 lead with just over three minutes to play.
• A Swarthmore 3-pointer with 3:16 to play ignited the late charge for the Garnet. Swarthmore closed within one, 63-62, on a 9-0 run over the next 1:51 of game play. The Garnet had an opportunity to tie the game following an Alvernia offensive foul. But, Poole forced a turnover by Swarthmore on their ensuing possession and Alvernia scored a Woodson layup off the turnover to take a 65-62 lead with 28 seconds to play.
• The Garnet then came out of a timeout and missed two 3-point opportunities. Ingelido grabbed the board off the second missed attempt. After three straight fouls by the Garnet against Alvernia, Poole was finally sent to the line. She missed her first attempt, but converted the second attempt to make it a four point game, 66-62, with four seconds to play. Swarthmore knocked down a buzzer-beating three, but Alvernia held on for the 66-65 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Jennah DeGout led all scorers with a season-high 22 points. She also had a team-high nine rebounds.
• Kyla Reed went 4-for-7 from three to finish with 12 points. Alvernia finished with a season-high seven made 3-pointers. 
• Jordyn Ingelido dished out nine assists, the most by an Alvernia player since Tamia Wessels recorded ten in February of 2024.

Up Next

• Alvernia opens up its MAC Commonwealth schedule on Wednesday hosting Widener at 5:00 PM. The Golden Wolves enter conference play with a 5-6 record and have won their last two contests. Widener is 9-2 overall, but the Pride have not played since an 83-74 win against Maine Maritime down in Daytona Beach on December 20. The Pride were receiving votes in the last D3Hoops Rankings that came out on December 14.