Continuing its memorable journey, the Haverford College women's basketball team heads to Baltimore to take on No.1 seed Johns Hopkins University in the first of two Centennial Conference semifinals taking place Friday night in Goldfarb Gymnasium.

Last time out: The Fords rolled past Ursinus, 55-41, in first round playoff action Wednesday night at Gooding Arena in front of a boisterous crowd. Participating in its first playoff competition in program history, Haverford used a 16-1 run during a seven-minute stretch of the first half to break open a tight contest.  One of the finest defensive efforts of the season by the Fords pushed the Bears deep into the shot clock on several possessions resulting in a season-low offensive output from Ursinus as it managed just a 26 percent shooting effort from the floor. Junior Dominique Meeks, a second-team All-Centennial selection this season, spearheaded the Haverford attack with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Tonight's match-up

Offense:  The centerpiece of the Fords' offense, Meeks has averaged 15.7 points in her last six outings and has reached double figures in scoring 19 times this season.  The supporting cast is plentiful as five other players average at least six points per game. Freshman Elizabeth Lynch, averaging 9.5 points, ranks statistically as one of the best long range shooters in the conference with 49 three pointers on the season. Directing the offense is the steady guard tandem of freshman Jacquelyne Pizzuto (75 assists) and sophomore Rachel Baskin (65 assists).  The Blue Jays, led by Chantel Mattiola (12.8 points per game) and Alex Vassila (10.7 ppg), lay claim to the second-ranked offense in the Centennial (64.6 ppg).

Defense: The contest showcases the first and second-ranked defenses in the conference as Johns Hopkins allows a scant 48.6 points per game and the Fords follow closely behind at 49.6 points. Haverford's defense, ranked 18th in Division III, has held opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field in 20 of its 26 contests this season. Meeks ranks second in the conference with 63 steals on the season. The Blue Jays' defense, ranked 10th in D-III averages 10 steals and five blocks a game.   

Coaches: The Centennial Conference's last two Coach of the Year honorees match wits as 2012 awardee Bobbi Morgan, in her fourth year at the helm, goes up against 2011 recipient Nancy Funk, who has resided on the Blue Jays' sidelines for 26 seasons.

Series: The Fords took down Johns Hopkins 54-42 at Goldfarb Gym on Nov. 22 and then completed the first season sweep of the Blue Jays in program history when they clipped Johns Hopkins 41-37 at Gooding Arena on Jan. 14. Haverford accounted for two of the Blue Jays' three losses on the season. The win by the Fords in Baltimore was Johns Hopkins' lone loss at home this campaign.

Conference Tournament Schedule: The other conference semifinal between Muhlenberg and Franklin & Marshall takes place at 8 p.m. on Friday. The championship is slated for Saturday night at 7 p.m.