LANCASTER, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team used hot shooting in the second half to pull away from the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats by a score of 75-46 at the Mayser Center on Thursday night.
A three-pointer by freshman Anna Schrecengost gave the Fords their first lead of the game (5-2) at the 17:49 mark of the first half. The Diplomats managed to tie the game at 12, but the Fords took the lead for good after two straight buckets from senior Elizabeth Lynch. Haverford would go on an 11-2 run to stretch its lead to its largest of the first half at 32-22 with 2:54 to go. Head coach Bobbi Morgan's squad would keep the Diplomats at bay before heading into halftime with a 36-27 advantage.
The Fords led for a majority of the first half despite only shooting 11-for-33 (33.3 percent). They held a halftime lead by hitting 11-12 from the charity stripe and holding F&M to just 10-of-36 (27.8 percent) from the floor. Haverford also swatted six F&M shots led by senior Shannon Smith's three blocks. Lynch and freshman Samantha Wetzel led the defending Centennial Conference Champions with 10 points each in the first 20 minutes of game action.
Haverford would pull away in the second half by making 16 of its 24 shots (66.7 percent). The Fords went on a 31-14 run over the final 14 minutes of the game to win by the final score. Once again, the defense for the Fords shined as they held the Diplomats to just seven baskets in the second stanza. Lynch scored 11 of her game-high 21 points and Schrecengost tallied seven of her 12 points in the second half.
With 12 blocks, the Fords tied a program record for blocks in a game. Smith had three more denials in the second half and finished with six in 20 minutes of playing time. Her six rejections are tied for eighth all-time for a single game in Fords' history. The senior also finished with seven points and six rebounds. Lynch added four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto had a game-high eight assists while freshman Sierra Berkel had six points and six rebounds off the bench in the win.
It's the fourth straight opponent that has been held under 40 percent shooting by the Fords. Sarah Haddon led the Diplomats with 15 points in the loss. Haverford outrebounded F&M 46-36 and had 19 assists on 27 baskets. The visitors also received valuable contributions from the bench with 24 rebounds and 20 points.
Tonight's win makes it four in a row for Haverford as it improved its record to 4-3 and 4-0 in the Centennial Conference. The Diplomats fell to 0-7 and 0-4 in conference play. It's the 10th straight conference victory for the Fords. The women's basketball team will now take on three straight non-conference foes beginning with Elizabethtown on Saturday at the Gardner '84 Arena beginning at 12 p.m.