CHESTERTOWN, Md. - The Haverford College women's basketball team matched the program record for wins in a season with a 61-47 victory over host Washington College on Wednesday night in Centennial Conference action at the Cain Athletic Center.
The Fords (18-3, 12-3 CC) never trailed as they swept the season series with the Shorewomen (7-14, 6-9) with the help of Jacquelyne Pizzuto's game-high 16 points.
Haverford jumped out to a 13-4 lead on the strength of 5-for-7 shooting in the first four-plus minutes of play. Three different player hit three-pointers in the opening surge capped by senior Hope Rainey's lone basket of the game.
After Washington moved within four (19-15) with 7:37 on the clock, Pizzuto tallied five straight to push the lead back to nine with five and a half minutes remaining until the break.
Kelly Mitchell's layup at 3:48 cut the Fords' lead to five (24-19) but the Haverford defense limited the Shorewomen to just one basket over the remainder of first-half play on the way to building a 10-point lead (31-21) at intermission.
Tallying all of her points in the opening 20 minutes, Pizzuto matched her season high as she went 5-of-6 from the field. The junior point guard, one of the top long-range shooters in the conference, nailed her fourth three-pointer of the night right before the halftime buzzer.
The Fords remained ahead by double digits over the initial five minutes of the second half before Washington began to rally. Carley Kendall's jumper at 13:36 brought the hosts within five but they would get no closer as a 7-0 run by Haverford gave the Fords a 12-point advantage with 10 minutes left in the game.
Extending its lead to a game-high 18 points on Elizabeth Lynch's three-pointer with five minutes on the clock, Haverford continued to keep the Shorewomen at a distance over the remainder of regulation.
Five Fords hit three-pointers in the contest as Haverford finished with nine on the night.
Pizzuto's standout performance included a game-high six assists. Nina Voith and Lynch chipped in with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Senior Cara Wyant grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds while Shannon Smith tallied four of Haverford's seven total blocks. Smith has loomed large on defense of late as she now has 13 total blocks in her last three outings.
Washington's Latisha Pledger registered a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Fords made Pledger work hard for her points however, as the senior forward went 3-for-11 from the field. Mitchell went 4-for-12 from the floor to also finish with 10 points. The Shorewomen shot 26.7 percent overall (16-for-60) due to Haverford's pressure defense.
The Fords matched the program's record for wins in a season set by the 2011-12 squad that finished 18-9 on the way to making the program's first appearance in the Centennial tournament.
Currently residing in second in the conference standings, Haverford returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Gettysburg College for a 4 p.m. contest with the defending Centennial champion Bullets (14-7, 9-6).