D3Hoops.com Top 25
WBCA NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll
HAVERFORD, Pa. - After a thrilling victory at then-No. 19 Gettysburg on Saturday afternoon, the Haverford College women's basketball team is receiving votes in both weekly polls, checking in on ballots across the the D3Hoops.com women's basketball top 25 poll as well as the WBCA/Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll. The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors, and media members from across the nation, while the WBCA poll is decided by a committee of nine head coaches at Division III institutions.
The Fords wil now await the release of Wednesday's initial Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings, as those rankings ultimately serve as criteria for the selection of at-large bids to the NCAA tournament.
Haverford turned heads nationally with its road win at Gettysburg on Saturday, tying atop the Centennial Conference standings with a 54-51 triumph. The Fords got out to a big early lead before outlasting the Bullets with a strong defensive effort in a back-and-forth fight to the finish. The contest represented the third straight season that Haverford has toppled a ranked opponent, as well as the third consecutive road victory over a Bullets side either ranked or receiving votes in the D3Hoops.com poll.
The Fords have impressed defensively this season, with a disciplined effort that has limited opponents to the fourth-fewest points per game in all of Division III (46.2). Haverford also commits the third-fewest personal fouls per contest (11.0) and has surrendered just 290 turnovers, the 23rd-lowest mark in the division. The stout defensive effort also leads the Centennial in blocks per game (4.8) and opponent three-point percentage (24.2).
Offensively, shooting guard Anna-Sophia Capizzi has been a standout in her senior season, ranking within the top 15 in the nation in three-pointers made (61). Capizzi currently leads the Centennial points per game (19.1) and is third in both overall (47.9) and three-point (40.7) field goal percentage entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
Haverford has clinched a Centennial Conference tournament spot for the ninth consecutive season, and is assured of a first-round bye with a date in the semifinals set for Friday, February 28. The Fords return to action tomorrow at Muhlenberg (6 p.m.), looking to match the program's longest win streak.