HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (10-3, 7-1 CC) was edged by Gettysburg (12-1, 8-0 CC), a team receiving votes in both national Division III polls, on Saturday at Gooding '84 Arena, falling by a final score of 69-64. The rematch of the last two Centennial Conference championship games was as close as advertised, as both teams traded salvos before the Bullets were able to hang out to escape for a road victory to remain undefeated in conference play.
Anna-Sophia Capizzi had a game-best 25 points for Haverford, connecting on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc while also adding six rebounds. Megan Furch (15 points) and Julianna Clark (12 points) also tallied in double figures. Clark set a new career high with a game-high seven assists.
Gettysburg began the contest on a quick 9-2 run, but Haverford responded with a Clark jumper before Cortlyn Morris and Capizzi each connected from the free throw line to cut the lead to four at 11-7 at the end of a defensive-minded first quarter. Early three-pointers from Gully and Capizzi kept Haverford close in the second, and Clark hit a pair of free throws to trim the Gettysburg lead down to just a single possession at 27-24 with 2:24 remaining in the first half. Furch hit a catch-and-shoot jumper with 1:20 left in the stanza to keep Haverford within three at 29-26, and Capizzi then knocked down a trey with under 30 seconds remaining to cut the Gettysburg lead to just two entering the intermission.
Christina Richson connected on a three-pointer out of the half, but a 4-0 run keyed by Megan Furch trimmed the Gettysburg lead down to just one at 34-33. Meredith Brown extended the Gettysburg lead back to seven, but Furch again connected on a jumper and later finished the three-point play to trim that deficit back to just four at 41-37. A 6-2 spurt for the visitors gave Gettysburg an eight point cushion at 49-37 with 2:36 to go in the third, and Mackenzie Tinner then sprinted to a fastbreak layup to extend the lead to its apex at 49-39. Capizzi responded by calmly knocking down another three, but a Carly Rice trey gave Gettysburg an eight-point advantage with just 50 ticks showing on the third period clock.
Clark knocked down a three to cut the Gettysburg lead back to just three with 1:15 remaining in regulation, and Haverford was within two as late as 25 seconds remaining in the fourth, as Capizzi found net with her fifth three of the afternoon. After Richson knocked down a clutch pair at the free throw line, a steal on the inbounds allowed Gettysburg to take a five-point lead from the line with just 20 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Five different Gettysburg players tallied in double figures as the Bullets were buoyed 26 bench points on the afternoon. Richson paced the Bullets with 15 points as Haverford held the second-leading scorer for Gettysburg, Kiera Cesareo, without a point. Gettysburg owned the edge in rebounding, 38-30, while Haverford forced 14 Bullets turnovers, adding 13 points off those miscues. Nyla Robinson had a career-best six points for Haverford while also collecting four rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
The Fords now march on in Centennial play, as women's basketball heads to Swarthmore for a Wednesday night contest with the Hood Trophy rival Garnet. Tip-off at Tarble Pavilion is slated for 6 p.m. and will be followed by the men's team dueling with No. 1 Swarthmore at 8 p.m.