HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team came back to defeat the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays 51-47 at the Gooding '84 Arena on Wednesday night.
The first half was an even battle as no team held a lead by more than six points. The Fords led 12-6 at the 13:37 mark, but the Blue Jays eventually tied the score at 16 four minutes later. Hopkins jumped in front with its largest lead of the first half at 27-22, but Haverford tallied five consecutive points to make the score 27 all at halftime.
Each team shot under 40 percent in the first half, the Fords (38.5 percent) and the Blue Jays (34.6 percent). The Blue Jays had seven offensive rebounds, but could only muster four second chance points. Senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto guided the offense with four assists and helped on the defensive end with three steals. The Fords received 10 bench points in the first 20 minutes of game action, highlighted by freshman Sierra Berkel's team-high eight points.
The first 10 minutes of the second half featured three lead changes and two ties as both teams traded baskets. After a three-pointer from senior Elizabeth Lynch tied the score at 37 with 10:55 to go, the Fords ran ahead with 10 of the next 12 to take their largest lead of the game (47-39) with 6:29 remaining.
The Blue Jays did not go quietly as they registered eight straight points to tie the score at 47 with three minutes left in the game. The Fords scored on back-to-back possessions, taking the lead for good and held their conference opponent scoreless over the final 3:03 of the game. Johns Hopkins missed its final eight shots from the floor and made just 7-of-24 (24.1 percent) in the second stanza.
Lynch paced the Fords with 10 points and six rebounds in the final 20 minutes. Haverford had four blocks after the break, led by senior Shannon Smith's two denials. After being outrebounded by three before the halftime, the home team had eight more than Hopkins in the second half, including six offensive boards.
Haverford was led in scoring by Lynch, who finished with 16 in the game, her third highest total of the season. The senior captain's four three-pointers tied a season-high. Smith added seven points, five rebounds and two blocks. That's 23 rejections for Smith in her last six games. The senior leads the conference with 2.6 blocks per game. Freshman Anna Schrecengost pitched in eight points, six rebounds and three assists while freshman Samantha Wetzel tied her career high with 10 rebounds in the win.
Tonight marks just the sixth time that Haverford has taken down Johns Hopkins since 1994. The two conference rivals have seen each other seven times since the 2013 season. With tonight's victory, the Fords have won the last two, including last season's Centennial Conference Championship. Head coach Bobbi Morgan's squad heads to Hopkins on Jan. 31.
With the win tonight, Haverford is one of only two teams (Gettysburg) unbeaten in conference play at 5-0. The Fords (6-5 overall) handed the Blue Jays their second Centennial Conference loss (4-2) and fifth overall (7-5). The women's basketball team will host McDaniel at the Gooding '84 Arena on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.