HAVERFORD, Pa. –The Haverford College women's basketball team posted a 65-47 win over Johns Hopkins on Thursday evening inside the Gooding '84 Arena, reversing a loss to the Blue Jays in Baltimore in January. Haverford was led by Sierra Berkel, who had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds while Samantha Wetzel narrowly missed a double-double effort with 15 points and nine rebounds in addition to five blocks.
The Fords improve to 19-4 overall on the season (15-3 Centennial Conference) while Johns Hopkins falls to 13-9 (12-5 CC). Haverford matched its win total from the 2016-17 season with the victory.
The two teams traded baskets in the first stanza, with Julianna Clark connecting on a three-pointer with 4:23 play in the quarter to to tie the score at 7-7. Clark again connected from beyond the arc for an 11-9 lead as Haverford looked for early separation from the Blue Jays. Lexie Scholtz converted a pair from the free-throw line to tie the score at 11-11, but Raina Gully and Megan Furch helped key a 6-0 run that propelled Haverford to a 17-11 lead after the first quarter.
Haverford's run grew to 10-2 as Berkel finished a layup following an offensive rebound in the early goings. Wetzel knocked down a jumper for an eight point lead at 23-15 with 6:32 left in the half and the basket began an 10-0 run that put Haverford up by 16 with 2:19 to play. Clark and Macy Goldbach each converted from beyond the arc in the stretch.
Lillian Scott hit a three-pointer in the final seconds of the half to put the Blue Jays within 13 points, but Haverford had successfully achieved breathing room over the visitors.
The Fords lead reached 16 with 4:33 left in the third quarter following a Wetzel layup. Johns Hopkins cut the advantage to just 12 following a Maggie Spitzer layup with 2:18 remaining in the quarter and Scott connected from beyond the arc with 6:22 left in the fourth to trim the Haverford lead to 11. Madison McGrath then hit a trey with 5:49 remaining in regulation to draw Hopkins to within 10 as the Blue Jays had perhaps their best stretch of basketball on the evening.
Berkel answered the Johns Hopkins spurt as she poured in an impressive layup and went to the line to finish a three-point play for a 54-41 lead with just over five minutes to go. Haverford was able to cruise to victory from that point forward despite consistent full-court defensive pressure from the visitors. The lead reached a game-high 18 in the waning seconds as Katie Cook finished a pair of free throws.
Berkel added her fifth double-double of the season to Wetzel's strong performance. Clark tallied 10 points to lead all reserves. Cook pitched in six points, dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds while Goldbach had a solid all-around effort with seven points, six rebounds, a pair of assists and three steals.
Scott (13 points) and Scholtz (10 points) were the only Blue Jays in double figures. Rory Cole had 11 rebounds in a losing effort.
Haverford will next return to action on Saturday, February 10 as the Fords kickoff the final regular season road trip of the season with a trip to McDaniel. Game time is slated for 1 p.m in Westminster, Md.