(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson women's basketball team turned in a strong performance but visiting Washington College escaped with a 43-38 win on Wednesday night at the Kline Center.

The game was tight, right from the opening tip. Dickinson held a slim, 13-12 lead, at the 7:41 mark of the first half. They used an 8-2 run to stretch the margin to seven, with 3:37 remaining in the first half.

The Shorewomen closed the gap, trailing 22-19, at the break. The Red Devils built the lead to six on a Sarah Phillips (West Amwell, N.J./South Hunterdon) lay-up.

Washington put together an 8-2 run of their own to pull even, 29-29, with 12:05 remaining in the game.

Both teams would not surrender any ground as the lead changed hands six times in a five minute span, with Washington gaining a 39-38 advantage with just 1:38 left to play.

Dickinson was unable to pull even down the stretch as Jackie O'Connell and Latisha Pledger converted on four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds.

First-year Jennifer Smith (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) caught fire late to finish with nine points and seven rebounds, adding three assists and a steal. Mary Martin (Honesdale, Pa./Honesdale) tallied nine points as well, controlling five rebounds and adding three steals. Phillps finished with eight points on the night.

Carley Kendall led Washington (4-8, 2-3) with a game-high 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Erin Fitzgerald controlled 11 rebounds to go with six points while O'Connell netted a game-high 10 points.

The Red Devils slip to 3-8 overall and 0-6 in the Centennial Conference. They travel to Ursinus College on Saturday to tip-off against the Bears at 3:00 pm.