HAVERFORD, Pa. – Led by a 16-point, 11-rebound performance from sophomore Samantha Wetzel, the Haverford College women's basketball team defeated the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, 45-38, at the Gooding '84 Arena on Thursday night.
With the win, Haverford tallied its first Centennial Conference victory of the season. The Fords are now 6-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play while Johns Hopkins drops to 3-7 and 1-3 in the conference.
Wetzel's 16 points tied her career high while her 11 rebounds were just one shy of her personal best. The sophomore made eight shots, tying her career mark, on 11 attempts (72.7 percent). She also added three blocks and two steals. Sophomore Sierra Berkel matched Wetzel, snagging 11 boards and registering nine points. Senior Olivia Walsh also just missed a double-double, falling one point shy (10 rebounds) in the victory.
The Fords started the conference game with six straight and eight of the first 10 points. Johns Hopkins got within two points before Haverford countered eight of the final 12 points to take a 16-10 lead after the first 10 minutes. A layup by Wetzel at the 6:25 mark of the second stanza gave Haverford its first double-digit advantage at 23-12. The home team kept its conference foe at bay, taking a 25-19 lead into halftime. Head coach Bobbi Morgan's squad held Johns Hopkins' top two scorers to a combined four points and the team to eight total baskets in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Blue Jays got within six on two occasions, but a 9-4 spurt over the last four minutes put the Fords in front, 38-27. Despite outscoring the Fords in the final stanza, Hopkins did not get any closer than seven points.
Suffocating defense by the Fords kept the Blue Jays to just a 25.4 shooting percentage (15-59). Haverford held Johns Hopkins to single digits in the second and third quarters. The road team was 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc and did not have player in double figures. The Fords never trailed in the game.
Haverford scored its seventh win all-time vs. Johns Hopkins tonight, including three of the last four meetings. All of those victories have come in the Bobbi Morgan era. Since dropping two straight in the conference, the Fords have rattled off three wins in the last four contests. The women's basketball team will now travel to Gettysburg on Saturday. The game (1 p.m.) is part of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team (3 p.m.).