HAVERFORD, Pa. - A strong defensive effort by the Haverford College women's basketball team held visiting Franklin & Marshall College to its lowest scoring output of the season Thursday night as the Fords turned back the Diplomats, 49-38, in Centennial Conference action.
The victory enabled Haverford (6-0, 4-0 CC) to extend the best start in program history while keeping pace at the top of the conference standings.
A chilly start from the field by the Fords made it possible for F&M (2-5, 1-3) to move out to a six-point advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The Haverford defense kept the hosts close and the Fords cut the Dips' lead to four on several occasions before a three-pointer from Jacquelyne Pizzuto brought Haverford within one, 17-16, with 4:28 remaining on the clock.
Pizzuto's long-range bomb was the start of a 9-2 run by the Fords that closed out the half. Haverford shared the ball effectively throughout the spurt and junior Pallavi Juneja put the exclamation point on the surge when she nailed a three-pointer in the final minute to give the Fords a six-point lead, 25-19, at the break.
Elizabeth Lynch led the way in the first half with eight points and she picked up where she left off after intermission. Lynch's two free throws in the opening minute of second-half action extended Haverford's lead to eight.
The Diplomats moved within four at the 16-minute mark before the Fords scored 15 of the next 19 points. Pizzuto capped the run with her second three-pointer of the night to push Haverford ahead by 15 (43-28) with seven minutes remaining in the game.
F&M managed to trim the lead to seven at 1:57 but it would get no closer. The Fords' defense pestered the Dips into two turnovers in their final three possessions and Shannon Smith sealed the victory with a jumper off the glass with 52 seconds left on the clock.
Lynch was active on both ends of the floor throughout the night as she filled the stat sheet with team-high marks in points (14), steals (6) and assists (4). The junior forward's six steals constitutes a new career high.
Pizzuto finished with eight points and three assists. Senior Rachel Baskin chipped in with six points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Diplomats entered the contest averaging 56.5 points per game and a big factor in Haverford shutting down the visitors was Smith's play in the paint. Smith registered a career-high five blocks to go along with seven points and five rebounds.
F&M's Kristina McCarthy led all scorers with 15 points while Sarah Haddon and Emma Lisle added eight points apiece.
Next up for the Fords is a non-conference contest against Penn State-Hazleton on Dec. 9. The final home game of the semester begins at 7 p.m.