HAVERFORD, Pa. - Nina Voith scored a team-high 20 points to help the Haverford College women's basketball team remain perfect on the season with a 66-60 non-conference victory over visiting Delaware Valley College on Monday night at Gooding Arena.
Playing their first game after the semester break, the Fords (8-0) faced a tough challenge against the Aggies (7-4) who entered the contest riding a five-game winning streak.
Delaware Valley started hot as it went 3-for-5 from the field over the opening three-plus minutes of the contest which resulted in a slim 10-9 advantage for the visitors. It would be a short-lived lead as Haverford's tenacious defense turned up the pressure and pestered the Aggies into a 1-for-15 effort from the field over the ensuing 14 minutes. The sterling defensive effort saw Delaware Valley limited to just two second-chance opportunities during a 23-5 run by the hosts. A fastbreak layup by Voith capped the surge that gave the Fords a 17-point lead (32-15) with 2:30 remaining until the break.
The Aggies closed out the half with five straight points to move within 12 at intermission (32-20), but Haverford continued its solid play in the second stanza. Each time the visitors looked to go on a run of their own, the Fords had the answer.
Delaware Valley managed to close within five with 50 seconds left in the contest but Haverford, one of the top free-throw shooting teams in all of Division III, clinched the victory with an 8-for-10 performance from the foul line over the remainder of regulation including a 7-for-8 effort by junior Jacquelyne Pizzuto.
Registering her first double-double of the season and 13th of her career, Voith also led the Fords in rebounds with 12 as Haverford won the battle on the boards (47-37).
Pizzuto and Elizabeth Lynch joined Voith in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Rachel Baskin filled the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Eireann Anastasi paced the Aggies with a game-high 21 points while Brenna Coll added 13.
The Fords will look to extend their perfect start to the season, and the longest winning streak in program history, when they travel to Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday night for a Centennial Conference contest against the Blue Jays (8-3, 6-0 CC) beginning at 6 p.m. Haverford, 4-0 in conference play, will look to account for Johns Hopkins' first conference loss of the 2013-14 campaign.