COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - Junior Jacquelyne Pizzuto topped all scorers with 16 points as the Haverford College women's basketball team placed four starters in double figures on the way to a 70-50 Centennial Conference victory over host Ursinus College on Tuesday night.
The Fords' victory coupled with other results from around the conference lifts Haverford (15-1, 9-1 CC) into first place in the Centennial standings.
After the Bears (6-11, 4-8) moved ahead by 10 (21-11) with nine minutes remaining on the first-half clock, the Fords roared back with a 21-6 run to close the half. Pizzuto nailed two from behind the arc and Cara Wyant added another during the tide-turning surge. Wyant's three-pointer at the two-minute mark put Haverford ahead 27-25 and the Fords never looked back.
Leading by five at the break (32-27), Haverford turned up the defensive pressure in the second half as it held Ursinus scoreless for a seven-minute span while building a double-digit advantage.
The Bears pulled within nine points (52-43) with five minutes left on the clock but the Fords tallied 18 of the final 25 points of the night to send the hosts to their eighth loss in the last nine games.
Haverford outscored Ursinus 59-29 overall during the final 29 minutes of action as the Fords captured their seventh straight victory.
Ranked first in the conference in three-point shooting percentage, Pizzuto finished 4-for-5 from long distance as she established a new season high.
Senior Nina Voith chipped in with 15 points, seven rebounds and five of Haverford's 10 steals on the night.
Junior Shannon Smith matched her career high for the second consecutive game with 11 points to go along with nine rebounds. Classmate Elizabeth Lynch reached double digits for the third time in the last four games with 10 points.
Senior Rachel Baskin also registered nine rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Jessica Porada paced Ursinus with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds while Alyssa Polimeni added 11 points.
Next up for the Fords is a trip to Franklin & Marshall College (3-14, 1-9) on Thursday night in the final game of three straight on the road. The conference contest begins at 7 p.m.