WESTMINSTER, Md – The McDaniel Green Terror came back in the second half to beat the Haverford College women's basketball team 50-47 on Saturday afternoon at the Gill Center.
The Fords saw their first separation of the game with a six point flurry to go up 11-4 at the 14:34 mark of the first half, but was immediately answered by a three-pointer from McDaniel's Lindsey Nichols. The Green Terror got within in two on several occasions in the first 20 minutes of game action, but the Fords' strong defense would not allow the home team to get any closer. Haverford shut out McDaniel over the final four minutes of the half and went into halftime with a 27-18 advantage.
In the first half, head coach Bobbi Morgan's squad held McDaniel to just 6-of-33 from the floor (18.2 percent). The Fords also outrebounded the Green Terror 31-19 and blocked six shots. Senior Elizabeth Lynch recorded four points and nine rebounds while senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto had a team-high eight points during the first portion of the contest.
Haverford scored the first four points of the second half to lead by double digits at 30-18 with 18:08 to go. The defense for the Fords held up early in the half as it kept the Green Terror without a basket for the first 4:21 of the second stanza. After basket by freshman Samantha Wetzel, the Fords' lead ballooned to its largest of the afternoon (35-22) with 13:53 remaining.
Over the next five minutes of the game, McDaniel held Haverford scoreless to cut its deficit to four (35-31) with 8:10 left. A three-point play by Pizzuto broke the scoreless drought for the Fords, but the Green Terror would eventually tie the score at 45 with just 3:05 lingering. Two free throws would give McDaniel its first lead of the afternoon on the next possession. The Green Terror missed five free throws over the final 1:33 which allowed the Fords' one last shot at the buzzer, but the field goal attempt was blocked.
Pizzuto finished with a team-high 11 points and five assists. Today was also her 100th career game, making her one of only five players in Haverford women's basketball history to achieve the mark. Lynch registered eight offensive rebounds to help set a new career high with 15 boards in the game. Junior Olivia Walsh scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting and tallied a career-best seven rebounds in the loss.
Lindsey Nichols had a game-high 23 points for the Green Terror in the win.
The loss drops Haverford to 12-9 on the season and 10-4 in the Centennial Conference. McDaniel, who was receiving votes in the latest D3hoops poll, improves to 20-1 overall and 13-1 in the conference. Despite the loss, Haverford clinched a Centennial Conference playoff berth for the fourth straight season. The Fords will now have two straight home games beginning with Washington College on Wednesday with the game time scheduled for 6 p.m.