SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team fell short in its attempt to take down Swarthmore College for the third consecutive year on its home floor as the Fords fell, 69-44, Wednesday night in Centennial Conference action.
A jumper by Dominique Meeks in the opening minute of the contest gave the Fords (10-6, 7-5 CC) the early 2-0 lead. After missing their first three shots of the night, the Garnet (15-2, 11-1) heated up and connected on their next five shots from the field on the way to opening a 17-4 advantage at the 13-minute mark. Haverford did not find the confines of Tarble Pavilion to be as friendly as it went just 4-of-13 in the opening 10 minutes of the half. After Elle Larsen's layup put Swarthmore ahead by 12 with eight minutes remaining until intermission, the Fords fought back to cut the deficit to single digits twice in the final two and a half minutes. Larsen came through again however as she restored the Garnet's lead to double figures with a last-second jumper that sent Swarthmore to the locker room with a 10-point lead, 31-21.
Hoping to find its range in the second half, Haverford again fell victim to cold shooting as it missed its first seven shots from the field after the break. Swarthmore, the first-place team in the conference, continued its impressive shooting night as it connected on five three pointers over the final 20 minutes to win its sixth straight and become just the fifth opponent to shoot over 40 percent against the Fords' defense this season.
Rachel Baskin led Haverford with nine points while Meeks and Victoria Sobocinski chipped in with eight points apiece. Meeks also added six rebounds and three steals.
Katie Lytle took game-high honors for the Garnet with 15 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.
The victory gives Swarthmore a half-point in this year's race for the Hood Trophy. The score stands at 3.5–3 in Haverford's favor in the annual rivalry between the two institutions.
Haverford returns home on Saturday with a conference contest against Franklin & Marshall College. The game against the Diplomats begins at 1 p.m.