HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team added another chapter to its historic season by claiming the program's first Centennial Conference title with a 66-56 victory over Johns Hopkins University on Saturday at Gooding Arena.
The Fords' season will continue in the NCAA tournament as Haverford's first victory over the Blue Jays (18-8) this season gave the Fords the conference's automatic bid to the national field.
Playing in front of their home crowd, top-seeded Haverford (23-3) put on a dominating performance in the first half. The third-seeded Blue Jays registered more turnovers (13) than field goals (nine) against the hosts' relentless defensive pressure in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Junior guard Pallavi Juneja's three-pointer gave Haverford a four-point lead (19-15) at the 12-minute mark of the first half. Jessica Brown answered right back from behind the arc to pull Johns Hopkins within one at 11:31 but the Blue Jays would get no closer the rest of the night. The Fords went on a 22-5 run over the next nine-plus minutes on the way to building an 18-point lead (41-23) with two minutes to go before intermission. Six different players tallied points in the surge as the fine-tuned Haverford offense shared the ball effectively and made life difficult on the Johns Hopkins defense.
The Fords' offensive execution produced open look after open look and they made the most of the opportunities as they shot 53 percent (17-for-32) in the first half. Haverford's first-half point total (41) surpassed its game total (40) from the previous meeting between the two squads on February 1.
The defensive effort was just as impressive as the Fords suffocated the Blue Jays' offense and turned Johns Hopkins' 13 first-half turnovers into 17 points.
Leading by 14 (41-27) at the break, Haverford thwarted several rally attempts by Johns Hopkins.
The Blue Jays began the second half with a 7-2 run to move within single digits but senior Cara Wyant quickly restored the Fords' lead to double figures with a three-pointer from the top of the key at 17:19.
Four minutes later, Johns Hopkins managed to cut the Haverford advantage to six (46-40) but again it was Wyant who had the answer as she converted a tough layup after a Fords' timeout.
Nina Voith's three-pointer gave Haverford a double-digit lead (51-40) once more with 11 and a half minutes remaining in the game but the Blue Jays would not go away.
Two times over the next five minutes Johns Hopkins again moved within six and on both occasions senior Rachel Baskin responded from distance. Baskin, who had converted five three-pointers on the season entering the contest, brought the home crowd to its feet with back-to-back shots from behind the arc to maintain the Fords' cushion.
Katie Clark's three-pointer made it a six-point game with 1:35 on the clock. Johns Hopkins then grabbed the defensive rebound on Haverford's ensuing possession but Clark's next offering was off the mark. Wyant, who seemed to be everywhere in the second half, pulled down the rebound and sealed the Fords' historic victory with six points in the final minute of play including a 4-for-4 performance from the foul line.
Named the most valuable player of the conference tournament, Voith led Haverford with 16 points and seven rebounds. The senior guard, who is the program's all-time leading scorer, averaged 17 points and seven rebounds over the two days of tournament action.
Tallying 13 second-half points, Wyant finished with 15 on the night. Baskin chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds while junior guard Jacquelyne Pizzuto added nine points and a game-high four assists.
Clark and Liz Tommasi paced the Blue Jays with 20 and 15 points, respectively.
Saturday night's victory was the Fords' first win over the Blue Jays in postseason play as Johns Hopkins had ended each of Haverford's prior two playoff runs.
Haverford will eagerly await to see the identity of its next opponent as selections for the NCAA tournament field, beyond the automatic qualifiers, will be revealed on Monday afternoon with first- and second-round games taking place on March 7-8.