HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (5-0, 2-0 CC) prevailed in the 2018-19 home conference opener, cruising past Franklin & Marshall (1-4, 0-2 CC) in a 65-46 victory at Gooding '84 Arena. A 32-8 run in the final 15:58 of the first half helped propel the Fords to a fifth-straight victory. Haverford has now opened the season 5-0 for the second-straight campaign and has won its last 13 matchups with Franklin & Marshall dating back to 2012.
Megan Furch led four Haverford scorers in double figures with 14 total points. Macy Goldbach poured in 13 while Maddie Gallic (12 points) and Anna-Sophia Capizzi (11 points) also tallied in double figures for the hosts. Players up and down the rotation stuffed the box score as Hannah Zoll added a career-best seven points and Lauren Howard also knocked down the first field goal of her career.
Haverford shot a season-high 48.9 percent from the field and connected on 4-10 from three-point range, holding the Diplomats to just a 30.2 percent mark from the field.
The Fords fell behind in the early goings of the first quarter, with a Julianna Clark layup cutting the lead to just one at 9-8 in favor of the Diplomats with just over four minutes to go in the opening stanza.
A Zoll trey restored the Fords lead at 13-12, and Zoll eventually poured in a layup at the first quarter buzzer to give the Fords a five-point cushion. Goldbach began the second with a jumper in traffic to extend the lead to seven. The lead stretched further to ten after Gallic completed a three-point play. Gallic added another pair of points at the free-throw line as the run reached 16-0.
With 5:48 to play in the first half, a Capizzi trey pushed the lead back to 11 at 27-16. The lead hit 14 at 30-16 after a Furch three-point play, prompting timeout from Diplomats with just over four to play in the first half. Caroline Andersen later scooped up a layup on a missed runner and scored for a 33-20 lead with 2:30 to play in the half. A Capizzi three-pointer in final moments of the half extended the lead to 19 at 39-20. Capizzi would add a bucket from the line as the Fords went ahead 40-20 at the midway point.
In the early goings of the third quarter, the lead reached 24, the largest of the contest, as a Goldbach three gave Haverford a 47-23 lead. F&M cut the Haverford cushion down to 11 at 54-43 with 3:48 to play in the fourth, but the Fords were able to keep the pressure on the Diplomats, finishing the contest on an 11-3 run to seal the victory.
A consistent and swarming defense was key for the Fords, as Haverford caused 24 turnovers and scored 32 points off those turnovers. Franklin & Marshall owned a slight 29-26 advantage on the glass, but Haverford's sharp-shooting night was more than enough to compensate. Haverford was sent to the line frequently, and delivered, making 15-19 (78.9%) from the charity stripe.
Nyla Robinson had a well-rounded effort with a career-best four rebounds to go with two points, two steals, and three assists. Katie Cook added four assists to her impressive career tally while Goldbach and Clark each notched three steals. Furch collected three blocks on the night.
Franklin & Marshall was paced by Kenna Williams who matched Furch with 14 points and added a double-double with 11 rebounds. Sarah Pisani also compiled 10 points while Haley Pilone poured in nine in a losing effort for the Diplomats.
The Fords return to action on Thursday as they make the short trip to Bi-Co neighbor Bryn Mawr for a 7 p.m. tipoff with the Owls. The Fords will then host No. 25 Gettysburg on Saturday, December 1 at 1 p.m. in an anticipated rematch of last season's Centennial Conference Championship game.