LANCASTER, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball opened up 2010 with a 53-48 loss at Franklin & Marshall College Wednesday evening. Haverford shot a respectable 44 percent from the floor in the opening half, but managed to connect on just 8-of-30 field goals in the final 20 minutes.

Victoria Sobocinski came off the bench to lead Haverford (3-6, 1-5 CC) with 16 points including four three-pointers. Nina Voith added 14 points and Dominique Meeks grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Allison Bauer and Beth Holt both netted a game-high 17 points for Franklin & Marshall (7-4, 3-3 CC). Alexa Barbush scored 10 points and swiped seven boards.

The Fords held a brief lead, 17-15, on a Nia Richardson layup with less than seven minutes to go in the first half, but F&M reeled off the next eight points and closed the half on a 13-9 run to hold a six-point lead.

Haverford opened the second half on a 13-3 run and held a 39-33 advantage. Two layups by Voith, treys by Sobocinski and Calla Miller and a three-point play by Voith sandwiched in between the treys helped HC to its torrid start. The Diplomats promptly responded with an 11-0 run. A three-point play by Barbush put F&M on top for good, 40-39 near the half-way point.

Trailing by five with 3:43 remaining, back-to-back baskets by Voith and Meeks made the score 47-46 as the game approached the two-minute mark. A layup by Barbush on the next possession put F&M back up by three, but Sobocinski made two free throws with 1:18 left that made the score 49-48.

F&M turned the ball over on its next possession, giving the Fords a golden opportunity to take the lead, but HC missed three layups over the next 12 seconds and the Diplomats made four free throws to ice the win.

The Diplomats collected nine more rebounds (39-30) than Haverford and despite 23 turnovers for the Fords and 22 for F&M; the Diplomats scored 23 points off HC turnovers.

The Fords remain on the road this Saturday when they travel to McDaniel College for a 1 p.m. tip-off.