HAVERFORD, Pa.- A basketball treat was in store for fans at Gooding Arena on Nov. 15 as the Haverford College Fords stormed to a 61-58 win over Immaculata University. The Fords were led by freshman Elizabeth Lynch, whose 21 points (including five three-pointers) was a game-high. The Mighty Macs' were led by Leah Kuczynski with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Haverford improved to 1-0, while Immaculata went to 0-1 on the season.
A tug of war started things off in the first half with eight lead changes. The Fords out-shot the Mighty Macs 32 percent to 29 percent from field goal range during the game.
In the first half, Lynch tied it at 11-11 at 12:28 to give the Fords a chance to pull ahead, and junior teammate Dominique Meeks went to the foul line to sink both and do just that, giving Haverford its first lead at 13-11. Meeks notched a double-double on the night with 13 points and 10 boards.
Coach Morgan called a timeout with the scored locked at 16 in the seventh minute, but on the next play Immaculata's Bridget Welz made two at the charity stripe. Welz tallied 12 points and 14 rebounds in the contest. However, Meeks responded to spin an inside pass into a bucket and the Immaculata bench called a timeout to settle the visitors down. Lynch ended the half with a jumper to send the Fords into the locker room trailing 30-25.
Haverford turned the heat on and kept it on high in the second half, as Lynch rang up four consecutive three-balls in a minute and half. At the 7:39 mark, Ford guard Calla Miller dished to -- who else -- Lynch, who knocked her fifth shot from long range to give Haverford a 51-47 advantage. Miller tallied 11 points in the contest. The home team's defense only helped, keeping Immaculata silent for a 2:33 span during Lynch's scoring spree.
Also of note was Haverford rookie guard Jacquelyne Pizzuto who scored her first collegiate points with 21 seconds remaining at the foul line.
The Fords play on, hitting the road to face Drew University Saturday, Nov. 19 in the Wheaton College Tip-off Tournament at 4 p.m. The winner of the Fords-Rangers game plays on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m., while the loser competes in a 2 p.m. contest.