GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team was stopped by Gettysburg on Saturday evening, falling 56-34 at Bream Gym despite a double-double effort for junior forward Sierra Berkel, who added 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Fords. Berkel posted her fourth double-double effort of the season and first since her career night on January 12 at McDaniel. Haverford falls to 15-6 overall (12-4 CC) while Gettysburg is now 15-5 (11-4 CC) with the win.
The Fords had a sluggish first quarter, scoring just two points on 1 for 15 shooting after some bad luck from the field and a swarming defensive presence from the Bullets. Gettysburg took a 13-2 lead into the second quarter.
Berkel hit a layup to begin the second period, cutting the Bullets lead to nine at 13-4. Anna-Sophia Capizzi hit a three-pointer with 5:20 left in the half to cut the lead to 15-7 and Berkel nailed a layup to make the score 16-9, cutting the Gettysburg lead to just seven. An 8-0 run for the Bullets restored a 15 point advantage for the hosts with 1:20 left in the half, as Emma Hanner put Gettysburg up 24-9.
Berkel had eight of the 11 points for Haverford at the break, a game-high total, along with eight rebounds.
Gettysburg got off to a hot start in the third, turning a 24-11 halftime lead into a 30-13 advantage with 8:07 remaining after a Hahner three-pointer. Macy Goldbach cut the lead to 15 with a layup in transition, but Kiera Cesareo hit a three on the other end to put Gettysburg up 18 at 33-15.
With 4:53 remaining in the third, Hahner drilled another one from beyond the arc to put the hosts up 21 at 38-17, but Berkel and Goldbach combined for four of the next six overall points to cut the lead down to 17 at 40-23. Megan Furch converted a layup with four seconds left in the quarter to pull Haverford back to 17 at 42-25.
In the fourth, Berkel hit a layup to pull Haverford back to within 15 at 42-27, but Haverford would get no closer as a 13-3 run allowed the hosts to take a game-best 24 point lead with 1:22 remaining in regulation.
Haverford was felled by a cold shooting night, posting a 25.8 percent night overall and just a 1 of 14 performance from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Fords kept themselves in the contest despite the shooting night as Samantha Wetzel tallied five blocks and Goldbach added two for a career best total in a game that featured a frenetic full-court press at times.
Gettysburg saw three scorers in double figures: Hahner (10), Emily Gibbons (14) and Kendra Meredith (15). Hahner and Gibson both recorded double-double efforts with 10 rebounds each.
Haverford will have a quick turnaround, taking on Muhlenberg in Allentown, Pa. on Tuesday evening. The teams will come into the contest tied for first place with identical 12 and 4 marks in Centennial Conference play. The contest is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. with the Muhlenberg men taking on the Haverford men at 8:00 p.m.