HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team will host the Centennial Conference Final Four this weekend for the first time in program history. The Fords hope they get to commemorate the occasion by hoisting the conference trophy at the conclusion of the championship tilt on Saturday night at Gooding Arena.
The initial step in the journey comes Friday night as Haverford (21-3) takes on defending conference champion Gettysburg College at 6 p.m. in the first semifinal of the night. The fifth-seeded Bullets advanced to Friday's contest with a 66-51 victory over fourth-seed Muhlenberg College in opening-round play on Wednesday night.
Do not expect either team to get many open looks in the game as Haverford and Gettysburg (16-9) own the top two defenses in the conference. The Fords and Bullets, ranked 11th and 16th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, respectively, played two entertaining contests during the regular-season campaign and fans should expect another battle as Haverford looks to take down Gettysburg for the third time this season.
Senior Nina Voith (14.3 points per game) and junior Elizabeth Lynch (13.5 ppg) lead the Haverford offense that averages 62.5 points per game. Voith, the program's leading scorer, has reached double figures 21 times this season while Lynch, the program record holder in three pointers made, has connected 50 times from behind the arc in 2013-14 including four in each contest against the Bullets.
When opponents try and shut down Voith and Lynch, the Fords can turn to junior point guard Jacquelyne Pizzuto. Averaging 9.1 points per contest, Pizzuto tops the conference in assist-turnover ratio at 2.32. Pizzuto is the consummate floor general but is willing to step up and take a shot when needed which was evident during Haverford's regular-season finale against rival Swarthmore College. Needing a victory to clinch the top seed in the conference tournament, Pizzuto took control in overtime with six clutch points to help the Fords close out the hard-fought victory.
The remaining two starters, junior Shannon Smith and senior Rachel Baskin, also have the ability to fill the scoresheet. Smith hit double digits on five occasions this season including an 11-point effort at Gettysburg on February 15. One of the top shot blockers in the conference, Smith is also a key component of the Fords' top-notch defense.
Baskin provides the "glue" as she consistently fills the stat sheet with whatever is needed to ensure a Haverford win. The senior guard leads the team in rebounds (5.7) and steals (1.8) and is also a constant threat to attack the basket.
Senior Cara Wyant has delivered in a reserve role this season. Wyant helped put the finishing touches on the Fords' record-breaking regular season with a career-high 20 points in the overtime victory at Swarthmore.
Juniors Pallavi Juneja and Brianna Robbins, along with senior Hope Rainey, have also sparkled off the bench for head coach Bobbi Morgan.
Haverford will look to neutralize Gettysburg's Caroline Murphy. The senior forward leads her team in points (15.4 per game), rebounds (6.3) and assists (2.7). The Fords will definitely try to keep Murphy away from the foul line as she ranks first in the conference and 22nd nationally in free-throw percentage (86.8).
Supporting Murphy in the scoring column is Alyssa Isler (9.7 points per game), Rianna Doane (7.2) and Emily Duggan (7.3).
The team that survives will advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. title contest against the winner of the second semifinal with the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line. Friday's second game, slated to begin at 8 p.m., features second-seeded McDaniel College (19-5) and third-seeded Johns Hopkins University (17-7). McDaniel, the 2010 conference champions, swept the season series against the Blue Jays.
Junior guard Steph Perez (12.4 ppg) is the Green Terror's top scorer while sophomore guard Katie Clark paces the Johns Hopkins offense at 11.3 points per game.
Tournament action will tip off Friday at 6 p.m. inside Gooding Arena. Haverford aims to be wearing the conference crown when the final buzzer sounds on Saturday night.