GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (17-7, 13-6) was edged in a battle between two of the nation's top defenses, falling to No. 25 Gettysburg (20-3, 17-1 CC) by a 51-44 final at Bream Gym on the Gettysburg campus Saturday afternoon. The contest was a rematch of each of the last three Centennial Conference championship games.
Ally Landau (14 points) and Caroline Andersen (12 points) each scored in double figures while Cortlyn Morris had a solid contest with 11 rebounds and two assists to go with six points in the penultimate regular season game. Kayla Robinson notched nine rebounds on the afternoon.
Haverford was forced to weather an early flurry from the Bullets, as the hosts began Senior Day on a quick 9-0 spurt, wrestling control of the early momentum of the contest and firing up the home crowd. The Fords stormed back, tying the score at 11-11 following back-to-back buckets from Eleanor Alix and Cortlyn Morris. Gettysburg had another quick run to take a 20-14 lead, and entered the halftime intermission clinging to a four-point advantage at 20-16.
The third quarter saw the Fords rally out of the gates, with a 7-0 run to take a 23-20 lead with 6:27 to play. In the final six minutes of the stanza, the offenses began to find a rhythm as both sides swapped baskets in a back-and-forth affair. Andersen hit a pair of layups in that stretch as the Fords found themselves down by just one with 1:20 to play in the third. Haverford eventually took a 32-31 lead, soaring into the fourth quarter after successful trips to the charity stripe for Alix and Landau.
An 8-2 Gettysburg run to open up the fourth quarter prompted a Haverford timeout, and Gettysburg looked to have an upper hand with a 41-34 advantage with under seven minutes to go. Haverford again had an answer, climbing back behind a particularly strong stretch of play from Andersen, as she brought the Fords within four with a layup at 3:03 to play.
Landau kept the Fords right in it, down four with 1:23 to play, but a foul on the ensuing Bullets offensive chance sent Carly Rice to the free-throw line where she was able to extend the lead out to six. Landau knocked down a last-minute three-pointer but it was too little too late for the Fords as the Bullets escaped to capture the season series.
Each team struggled from the field on Saturday, but Gettysburg made the most of its trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 16 free throws in 18 attempts. Haverford held a slight 39-38 advantage in rebounding.
The Fords now return to action on Wednesday, February 16, for the regular season finale against Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore. The road contest will begin at 6 p.m. and will be followed by the Haverford men taking on No. 17 Swarthmore at approximately 8 p.m.