GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team dropped its season opener to the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen, 59-44, in the opening game of the Gwynedd Mercy Tip Off at the Griffin Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The first half featured the Dutchmen jumping out in a front, 7-2, as the first four minutes got underway. A three-pointer by senior Pallavi Juneja gave the Fords their first lead at 10-7 with 13:25 remaining. The next nine minutes of game action featured three ties and three lead changes with no team leading by more than two points. With the scored tied at 18, the Dutchmen ended the final four minutes of the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 29-18 lead into halftime.

The Dutchmen started the second half on a 14-5 run to expand their lead to 20 at 43-23 with 10:30 remaining. Haverford made a valiant comeback, going on a 17-5 run during a seven minute stretch of the second half, cutting its deficit to eight twice in the final four minutes. During the run, Juneja led the Fords with seven points while senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto added six points. Lebanon Valley kept the Fords at bay by hitting 11-of-13 from the charity stripe down the stretch to score the victory.

Juneja (12 points) and Pizzuto (11 points) combined for 23 of the Fords' 44 points. In her first collegiate game, freshman Anna Schrecengost pulled down four offensive rebounds and nine total in the game. Sophomore Madison Skerritt grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and scored four points in 22 minutes off the bench. Freshman Samantha Wetzel also had five rebounds, while also adding in a block and four points. Taylor Umbrell led the Dutchmen with 15 points in the win. 

Haverford falls to 0-1 on the year while Lebanon Valley improved to 1-0. The Fords will take on the loser of Gwynedd Mercy and Manhattanville tomorrow at noon in the consolation game of the Gwynedd Mercy Tip Off.