HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team came close to upsetting first place McDaniel College in Monday evenings, 59-54, loss at Gooding Arena. Haverford rallied from a 10-point first half deficit to take a four-point lead in the second half before the Green Terror regained the lead for good with five minutes remaining in the game.
Haverford (5-15, 3-13 CC) placed three freshmen in double-figures. Nina Voith led the way with 15 points while Calla Miller added 12 and Dominique Meeks finished with 10.
Ali Moreland scored a game-high 22 points for McDaniel (17-4, 15-2 CC) on 50 percent shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Katelyn Fischer scored 13 points and Cara Thompson and Ashley Lyles grabbed eight rebounds apiece.
The Fords held a 43-37 advantage on the glass thanks to Sara Cram's game-high 13. Haverford muscled its way to 30 points in the paint and 13 second chance buckets.
McDaniel jumped out to an 11-2 lead nearly seven minutes into the game thanks to a three by Moreland and a pair of jumpers from Whitney Snoops. The Fords got to within five with 9:17 remaining when Miller completed a three-point play with a free throw. The Green Terror quickly jumped back up to a 10-point advantage on a Lyles layup. Field goals by Miller and Voith got HC back within six. Moreland connected on a jumper with 1:40 left and with four seconds left a put back by Cram made the score 31-25.
Haverford's second half comeback took just five minutes thanks to a 7-2 run out of the gate. Voith hit a three to make it a one-point game and Meeks' put back at the 15:12 mark made the score 34-33 in favor of the home team. Next time down floor Miller gave the Fords their largest lead of the game when she made a trey.
The second half saw three tie score and eight lead changes. The majority of those came in a nine-minute span after Miller's three. Each time the Green Terror inched back Haverford answered. Trailing by one, 42-41, the Scarlet and Black went up by four again after a Liz Mayell three and a Voith layup just past the halfway mark.
McDaniel held a one-point lead with less than six minutes to go when Cram converted a McDaniel turnover into a layup for a 49-48 advantage. After turnovers by both sides, Moreland picked up a steal and went in for a layup with 4:49 on the clock which gave McDaniel the lead for good. A three by Fischer on the next possession made it a three-point game, 53-50.
The Fords got within one twice in the next 46 seconds, but could not get any closer in the final two minutes despite ample opportunities. The Green Terror made all four of their free throws in the final 20 seconds to pull away.
Haverford remains home this Wednesday when they host Ursinus College at 6 p.m.