Signature Wins: A jumper by senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto with two seconds to go gave Haverford a 53-52 win over the Immaculata Mighty Macs on Dec. 13. The second half was a back-and-forth tilt that featured 11 lead changes and five ties. After the Mighty Macs took a 52-51 lead, Pizzuto dribbled from the left corner to the top of the key before driving into the paint and scoring on a floating jumper that gave the Fords the win.
Senior Elizabeth Lynch surpassed the 1,000 point plateau as Haverford defeated Franklin and Marshall 80-47 (Jan. 29). She is one of only six players in program history to reach the mark and fourth under head coach Bobbi Morgan. The last Ford to record the milestone was Nina Voith '14 in 2013-14, who finished as the all-time leader in points (1,411). With 6:03 left in the first half, the senior came up with a steal, drove the length of the court, and laid it in for career points No. 999 and 1,000.
The Fords picked up a thrilling 58-55 win over the Gettysburg College Bullets in the first round of the Centennial Conference playoffs (Feb. 24). It was the sixth straight victory for Haverford over Gettysburg including three wins this season. After the Bullets got within one with 1:24 to go, Pizzuto recorded a right-handed layup to push the Fords' lead back to three. The Bullets had two more opportunities to tie the game, but their three-point chances were off the mark.
Season Notes: Haverford finished the year with 16 wins … It's the first time in program history that the team has won at least 15 games four straight years … Team was ninth in country in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.19), 25th in blocks per game (5.2), 33rd in scoring defense (52.8) and 41st in defensive field goal percentage (33.5) … Lynch finished her career with 1,116 points, the fourth most all-time … The senior's 56 three-pointers were the most ever by a Ford in one year … Pizzuto set a single season program record with 140 assists and .889 free throw percentage during the season … The senior point guard had the best assist-to-turnover ratio (3.41) in the country and was 23rd in assists per game (5.2) … Freshman Sierra Berkel had the best field goal percentage (.555) in Fords' history and led the conference … The freshman recorded seven double-doubles … Berkel (Nov. 15) and Pizzuto (Nov. 24) were named Centennial Conference Player of the Week … Senior Shannon Smith blocked 64 shots in 2014-15, second most in the conference and her 2.46 blocks per game was 32nd in the nation … Freshman Samantha Wetzel's field goal percentage (.504) is the second best all-time behind Berkel.
Awards:
All-Centennial Conference: Pizzuto (first team), Lynch (second team)
Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Junior Olivia Walsh
Centennial Conference Player of the Week: Berkel (Nov. 15), Pizzuto (Nov. 24)
Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Clio Bodie, Darby Festa, Pallavi Juneja, Elizabeth Lynch, Jacquelyne Pizzuto, Shannon Smith
Ambler Scholar-Athlete: Pallavi Juneja, Jacquelyne Pizzuto
Looking Ahead:
Sierra Berkel will be the Fords' leading returning scorer (8.7) and rebounder (7.4) next season while Anna Schrecengost (5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game) and Samantha Wetzel (5.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per contest) are also back in the fold. With a talented roster, Haverford will look to continue its path as a conference contender.