BALTIMORE, Md. – Streaking to four straight wins with a 54-42 victory over Johns Hopkins University, the Haverford College women's basketball team is off to their best start yet under fourth-year head coach Bobbi Morgan.
"Tonight was a great team win," said Morgan. "We played outstanding defense and that made everything else go according to plan."
The Fords have won their games by a margin of 8.8 points per game so far this season.
With the Nov. 22 win, the Fords improve to a spotless 4-0 and 1-0 in the Centennial Conference, while handing Hopkins their first loss of 2011-12 with a 3-1, 0-1 record.
Two veterans led the way for the Fords, junior Dominique Meeks and sophomore Rachel Baskin with identical 14 point, seven rebound performances. Hopkins was led by Chantel Mattiola with 13 points and four boards.
The Fords forced 24 Hopkins turnovers. Haverford also outshot the Blue Jays 41 percent to 31 percent in the second half.
To start, Hopkins sprung out to an early lead which peaked at seven points (12-5) in the 11th minute of the first half. Meeks got her squad within one by hitting the front end of two free throws, and Baskin followed up with a three-ball to give Haverford a 14-12 lead they would never relinquish. A jumper by junior Calla Miller at the halftime buzzer would give the Fords a 26-19 advantage at the break. Miller completed the night with eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
In the second stanza, the Fords converted 11 points off turnovers to continue building their lead. Rookie Elizabeth Lynch sank a three-pointer at 11:02 to give Haverford an 18 point advantage at 43-25 (their largest lead of the game). Lynch registered 11 points and a team-best four blocks for the evening.
For Hopkins, Mattiola sank a trey with 41 seconds remaining, but it wouldn't be enough as the Fords outlasted JHU 54-42 for the win. The victory was the second over Hopkins for Coach Morgan, as the last time her Fords defeated the Blue Jays was on February 13, 2010, 58-54.
After taking a brief Thanksgiving respite, Haverford is back in action on Nov.29 at Dickinson College. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in this league match-up.