HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (12-4, 8-4 CC) led from start to finish, eventually grinding out an 44-38 victory over visiting Washington College (5-10, 2-8 CC) Tuesday evening inside the Gooding '84 Arena. Haverford was buoyed by a big first-quarter run, hanging tough as Washington College delivered second half salvos.
Megan Furch narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 10 points and adding nine rebounds. The junior also notched two steals and two blocks in her 30 minutes of action. Haverford saw much of its advantage come from 17 Shorewomen turnovers, as the Fords scored 16 points off those miscues.
The Fords scored their first three points at the free-throw line, taking advantage of a scattered offensive effort for the Shorewomen in the early goings. Macy Goldbach knocked down a trey with 7:46 to play in the first as Washington College called for timeout trailing 6-0. Anna-Sophia Capizzi later scooped up a turnover, pouring in a layup as the lead reached 8-0 with just over seven minutes to play. The run stretched to 10-0 as Haverford was able to keep the pressure up on the defensive end, with its trademark stifling full-court press limiting chances for Washington College in the early goings.
The lead later hit 28-11 as Capizzi sank a layup in transition, and suddenly Haverford found itself with a 17-point lead at 6:40 to play in the second quarter. Washington College looked for answers with a timeout, and seemed to find them with an extended spurt to get back into the contest. A 6-0 run from the Shorewomen put the visitors back within striking distance entering the intermission, as the Fords headed into the locker room up by 11 at 28-17.
The visitors' run continued into the second half, reaching 10-0 as Washington College cut the lead to just seven at 28-21. Maddie Gallic poured in a layup to give Haverford a nine-point cushion at 30-21, and Furch finished a jumper for an 11-point advantage with 4:56 to go in the stanza. A sluggish end to the quarter for the Fords allowed Washington College to hang with the Fords, trailing by just six at 36-29 entering the fourth. Alexis Krahling made it a two possession game with a triple at under 90 seconds remaining in the third.
The Fords kept the Shorewomen quiet from the free-throw line, not allowing the lead to dip below six as Washington finished the game just 5-14 from the stripe. Furch ended a long field goal drought for Haverford by converting on a jumper with 3:49 remaining in regulation. The Fords finished the quarter four of five from the charity stripe, fending off a pair of fruitless three-point attempts to take the win.
Gallic had nine points to go with six rebounds while Goldbach added two blocks and two assists to a five-point night. Katie Cook grabbed three steals, a game high. Haverford has now won 13 straight meetings with the Shorewomen, sweeping the season series for the sixth straight campaign.
The Fords continue a busy week at Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Haverford has won the last six contests with the Garnet dating back to 2016. The matchup will be followed by the Haverford men taking on Swarthmore at 8 p.m.