Women's Basketball Matches Program Record with Ninth Consecutive Win

Anna-Sophia Capizzi
Anna-Sophia Capizzi
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ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (19-3, 16-1 CC) registered its ninth consecutive victory on Wednesday evening, matching the longest win streak in program history with a 66-51 victory over homestanding Muhlenberg (10-12, 8-9 CC). Haverford's 16 wins in Centennial also play matches the most in program history with three conference contests still to go. 

Senior Anna-Sophia Capizzi had a game-high 27 points, becoming the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points after connecting on her fourth three-pointer of the night with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter. The shot also broke the Haverford single-season record for three-pointers in a single season, as Capizzi finishes the day with a school-record 66 three-pointers so far in 2019-20. Senior Megan Furch also had a banner night, posting a double-double with a career-best 19 points and 11 rebounds in the triumph. Julianna Clark reached double figures for the Fords, pouring in 12 points with a pair of three-pointers to her ledger. 

The Fords began the contest on a 5-0 run, but nothing came easy for either side in the first quarter as Muhlenberg quickly pulled back to within two at 13-11 following a three-pointer from Mikaela McGarvey. Capizzi drilled her first three of the contest to restore a five-point cushion for the Fords at 16-11, but a swift 5-0 run for the hosts tied the score at 16-16 with just 1:58 left in the stanza. In the opening moments of the second quarter, Clark knocked down a triple for a 22-18 Haverford advantage, and Capizzi followed that up by gliding to the bucket for a layup. McGarvey answered with a three, but the Fords took the reigns of the contest from that point, unleashing a methodical 11-0 run. Capizzi put a bow on the spurt, pouring in a layup before connecting from downtown to put Haverford up by 14 at 35-21 with less than a minute remaining in the first half. 

Haverford shot a blazing 56.5 percent from the field in the first half, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, finishing the first 20 minutes on a program-record pace from the field. A 7-2 Muhlenberg run to start the second half prompted a Haverford timeout with 6:07 left in the third, as the Mules trimmed the Haverford lead to just seven. Capizzi helped key the rapid response, as she connected from three yet again to bring the Haverford lead back to 10 at 40-30, and later etched her name onto the 1,000-point banner, reaching the milestone with a long triple to put the visitors up by 13. Clark added a three of her own with 3:11 to go, and Capizzi put a stop to a quick 4-0 stretch for Muhlenberg with her fifth trey of the night with just three seconds remaining in the quarter.

The fourth quarter was defensive minded as Haverford looked to protect its late lead. The Mules briefly got back within single digits as Madison Kirchofer connected on a jumper with 3:38 to play, but Cortlyn Morris added a pair of free throws and Furch notched a layup in the waning moments to reflect the 15-point final margin. 

Capizzi's night was nearly flawless from the floor as she went 10-of-12 on field goals, including a 5-for-6 mark from beyond the arc. In total, Haverford went 7-for-9 on shots from distance, the best mark so far this season. Morris had three blocks in another standout effort as she has now tallied multiple blocks in 10 contests this season. Haverford swept the season series with Muhlenberg for the first time since the 2013-14 season. 

Women's basketball has now wrapped up its longest road swing of the season, and heads home for two of the final three regular season contests. The stretch begins on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) as the Fords take on McDaniel on Senior Day at Gooding Arena. Haverford will honor the class of Capizzi, Maddie Gallic, Furch, and Hannah Zoll prior to tip-off with the Green Terror. The men's contest with McDaniel is slated to follow, with tip-off at approximately 3 p.m.