GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team stayed in a tie for first place in the Centennial Conference with a 59-33 victory over the Gettysburg College Bullets on Tuesday night at the Bream Gym.
The Fords started hot from the field as they made four of their first six shots, leading 8-4 in the early going. Haverford's pace slowed as it only made two of its next 11 attempts which allowed Gettysburg to take its first lead at 14-12 with 8:22 remaining in the first half.
Senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto's three-pointer gave the lead back to the visitors (16-14) at the 7:58 mark. Back-to-back three pointers by senior Elizabeth Lynch pushed the Fords' advantage up to nine (23-14) which led to a Bullets' timeout. A layup by Gettysburg's Samantha Page broke up a 13-0 run by Haverford with 4:10 remaining, but the Fords' offense would not let up as it scored five consecutive points to lead by as many as 16 at 32-16. Haverford went into half time with a 32-19 lead.
Gettysburg managed to shoot just 9-of-38 (23.7 percent) in the first 20 minutes of game action while Haverford made 16 of its 39 shots (42.9 percent) and had five three-pointers. The visiting Fords extend their lead in the second half by holding the Bullets to just one basket in the first 12 minutes of the stanza, leading by as much as 22. Gettysburg scored 9 of 11 points to cut its deficit to 15 with 6:07 to go, but sophomore Madison Skerritt answered with a three-pointer and the home team never got any closer.
Haverford held Gettysburg to 24.5 percent from the floor (13-of-53). It's the second lowest shooting percentage for a Fords' opponent this season. Tonight was the third time this season that Haverford blocked at least ten shots. Senior Shannon Smith set a career high with seven blocks which was tied for fourth in program history for a single game.
Freshman Sierra Berkel recorded her second straight double-double and fourth of the season with a team-high 13 points and 11 rebounds. Pizzuto scored 11 of her team-high 13 in the first stanza. Lynch tallied nine points, four rebounds and four assists in the win. Jessica Porter had a team-high 11 points in the loss.
Head coach Bobbi Morgan's squad saw its record jump to 7-6 on the season and 6-1 in the conference while Gettysburg fell to 10-2 and 5-2 in the Centennial Conference. The Fords are one of only two teams (McDaniel) with just one conference loss. Tonight's victory was the fourth straight for Haverford over Gettysburg. The Fords will wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule vs. Bryn Mawr on Thursday at the Gooding '84 Arena beginning at 7 p.m.