HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team suffered its first loss in seven games as it fell to visiting Swarthmore College, 71-57, in Centennial Conference action on Wednesday night.
The Fords (12-4, 7-4 CC) trailed the Garnet (7-8, 5-6) by 14, 61-47, with 7:26 left in the contest before holding Swarthmore to just two points over the next four minutes. Freshman guard Elizabeth Lynch's three pointer capped off a 10-2 run that trimmed Haverford's deficit to six with a little over three minutes remaining. Swarthmore managed to hold on as it went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the last 1:09 to seal the victory.
A three pointer by Garnet guard Eliza Polli 18 seconds into the game staked Swarthmore to a 3-0 lead it would never relinquish. The Garnet caught fire in the opening twenty minutes as they shot a staggering 54 percent from the field including 4-for-9 from behind the three-point line. Swarthmore opened a 13-point lead on two occasions but the gritty Fords persevered and pulled within six, 28-22, on a three pointer by junior forward Victoria Sobocinski with 1:42 remaining before intermission. Yet the Garnet would score six of the last eight points of the half to take a 39-29 lead into the locker room.
Lynch led a trio of Fords in double figures as she hit for 17 points. Junior forward Dominique Meeks added 13 points and Sobocinski tallied 10. Haverford guards Rachel Baskin and Hope Rainey shared high rebounding honors with six each. Calla Miller tied her career-high with five assists to lead the team.
Swarthmore registered a 51 percent shooting performance for the game and became the first opponent to shoot over 40 percent from the field in five games against the Fords' defense, which currently ranks seventh in the nation. Elle Larsen took home game-high honors with 18 points as she paced a balanced Garnet attack that placed five players in double figures. Genny Pezzola led Swarthmore on the boards with nine to go along with her double-digit effort on offense (14 points).
Despite the loss, Haverford still holds a 4-2.5 lead in the 2011-12 Hood Trophy competition between the two schools.
The Fords continue conference action Saturday afternoon as they welcome Gettysburg College to Gooding Arena at 1 p.m.