LANCASTER, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team (2-0) posted its second straight win to begin the season, outlasting Washington & Lee (1-1) by a final score of 55-51 in the first game of the Terry Greene Tip-Off Classic at the Mayser Center on the campus of Franklin & Marshall.
Haverford found itself down by one in the final moments of the contest, but a layup from junior Maddie Gallic with 13 seconds remaining gave the Fords the lead before a steal from Katie Cook sealed the win on the ensuing possession.
Macy Goldbach poured in 16 points to lead all scorers, adding a career-high eight rebounds. Cook added 11 points while Gallic finished with 10. The Fords shot 41.7 percent from the field and converted on six of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
Anna-Sophia Capizzi gave Haverford an early 12-9 lead going into the end of the first quarter with a three-pointer, and Goldbach added a trey of her own for a 15-11 advantage just over two minutes into the second. Goldbach again drilled one from downtown for an 18-11 cushion with 7:07 left in the half, and a Gallic layup promptly gave the Fords a nine point lead.
Washington and Lee cut the lead to just four with 4:21 to play in the first half, but a Hannah Zoll layup in the final minute restored a seven point cushion for Haverford. The lead reached 10 out of the halftime gates, with Cook draining a three ahead of an 8-0 run from the Generals that cut the lead to 32-20 in favor of the Fords.
The Fords held just a one-point lead at the end of three quarters, but Goldbach and Cook stayed consistent from three-point range, with each knocking down a trey as Haverford went up five at 47-42 with 8:24 to play. Megan Horn broke a long field goal drought for both teams with a three to cut the lead back to just one, and Taylor Casey rattled off five straight points to give Washington & Lee its first lead with under two minutes left in regulation.
A Cook jumper with 1:28 to play came ahead of a conversion from the free throw line as the Fords climbed back, down just one at 51-50 with under a minute left. The score would hold at that 51-50 mark as a Capizzi steal gave possession back to Haverford with 33 seconds. Gallic missed her initial shot attempt on the next posession, but grabbed the offensive rebound and made the put-back for a 52-51 lead.
A costly turnover from Washington & Lee then gave the ball back to Haverford, as Cook grabbed a steal and was promptly fouled. Cook sank both her free throws and the Generals missed their last-ditch shot attempt on the other end as Haverford prevailed. Goldbach added a free throw with one second remaining to reflect the 55-51 final.
Cook had three steals to lead Haverford while Gallic had a team-best four assists on the afternoon. Megan Furch turned in a solid outing in the post, with five rebounds and a pair of blocks to go with her four points.
Three Generals tallied in double figures, with Casey (12 points), Horn (10 points), and Andy Smithey (10 points) leading the way.
Haverford will have a quick turnaround, facing off with Elizabethtown at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon to wrap up its stint in Lancaster. The Fords then open up conference play in Collegeville, Pa. on Tuesday, November 20 at Ursinus (6 p.m.)