HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team put forth one of its best efforts of the season in a 67-57 Centennial Conference loss to Muhlenberg College Thursday evening at Gooding Arena. The Fords hung with second place Muhlenberg from the onset and trailed by just five with four minutes left in the second half.
Haverford (8-10, 5-8 CC) had three players reach double-figures, led by Nina Voith's 17 points and nine rebounds. Victoria Sobocinski and Dominique Meeks both tallied 10 points. Meeks grabbed eights boards and Sobocinski had seven. Calla Miller and Cara Wyant added eight points apiece while Wyant collected nine rebounds. As a team the Fords ripped down 49 caroms to just 35 for Muhlenberg (13-4, 9-3).
The Fords trailed by seven points four minutes into the contest, but made up that ground quickly and stayed within four points for all but a few minutes of the first half. Voith grabbed an offensive rebound and buried a jumper at the 13:26 mark to cut the deficit to two, 14-12. Voith helped keep the Fords within two, 22-20, a few minutes later when she hit a trey.
With the first half winding towards the six-minute mark, Sobocinski drained a three-pointer to pull HC within one, 28-27. In the closing minutes Haverford had chances to tie or take the lead, but could not convert. An Erin Laney field goal with 14 ticks left coupled with a Haverford turnover in the backcourt put Laney at the foul line where she made one-of-two to make it a five-point game, 33-28, at the half.
The Fords quickly made it a one-point game early in the second half thanks to baskets by Meeks and Rachel Baskin. Muhlenberg answered back on its next possession and that seemed to be the theme of the half as both teams countered each other's punch.
Voith made a three at the 12:18 mark to tie the score at 39-39, but Alexandra Chili made a three of her own on the next possession to put the Mules back up by three. Wyant drilled a trey 20 seconds later to tie the score one more time. The Fords tied the score again on a Wyant jumper before the Mules went up by seven on two Chili layups and one from Alita Zabrecky.
The game did not see much scoring over the next two minutes and it benefited the Fords as they got within two, 53-51, with 6:25 remaining. Muhlenberg gradually started pulling away in the last five minutes thanks to a few timely steals and perfect free throw shooting. Leeann Lanza missed a layup with 1:30 showing, but Haverford turned the ball over after grabbing the rebound. After a Fords' timeout Lanza made a layup to put the visitors up by seven with 1:11 remaining. The Mules connected on all eight of their free throw attempts in the final minute to extend the lead.
Chili finished the night with a game-high 22 points for the Mules. Alexandra Berlin added 11 points. Muhlenberg received 21 points from its bench.
The Fords remain home Saturday to play host to Franklin & Marshall College at 1 p.m. Haverford defeated the Diplomats, 53-39, Dec. 11 at the Mayser Center.