LANCASTER, Pa. – In a wire-to-wire victory, three players reached double figure scoring totals and two more just missed that mark to lead the Haverford College women's basketball team to a 63-52 Centennial Conference victory against Franklin & Marshall. Today's win gives the Fords (12-6, 7-4 CC) a season sweep over the Diplomats (4-15, 3-10 CC).
Samantha Wetzel recorded a double-double with a career-high 16 rebounds and 10 more points. Sierra Berkel just missed adding a second double-double to the Fords' score sheet as her team-high 17 points matched Olivia Walsh's scoring total. Berkel finished one rebound shy of the double-double, while Walsh did most of her damage from beyond the arc with four three-pointers on the afternoon. Tori Hopkins and Katie Cook finished with nine and eight points, respectively.
The Diplomats were led offensively with 16 points from Lindsey Powers. Franklin & Marshall had four players finish with at least 10 points in the contest, but the Fords held the host's bench scoreless and allowed just three points to the fifth starter during the victory. Sarah Haddon and Erica Brown recorded double-doubles for the Diplomats.
Saturday's contest saw the Fords jump out early and never look back as they won each of the four quarters. Haverford got out in front quick with the first of Walsh's four three-pointers on the afternoon and used a quick start to hold a 9-2 advantage just under three minutes into game action. Haverford matched that lead on one other occasion in the quarter before Franklin & Marshall closed the deficit to a single point. Nonetheless, back-to-back baskets from Wetzel in the final minute-plus of the opening quarter put her team up five.
The Diplomats had Haverford's lead down to a single possession on two occasions early in the second quarter. However, a 7-0 run that was capped by a three-pointer from Walsh pushed Haverford's largest lead of the half to nine points, 24-15. The Fords carried a 26-18 advantage into the locker rooms after holding F&M just 23 percent shooting from the field during the first 20 minutes.
Haverford took its first double-digit advantage when Berkel went to work in the paint with a layup in the first minute of the third quarter. Haverford held a game-high lead of 13 points on two separate occasions coming out of the half. The first came when Walsh knocked down a triple to set the score at 33-20 with 7:28 left in the third. A layup from Darby Festa matched that advantage at the 2:04 mark of the stanza with Haverford holding a 44-31 edge.
Consistent defense from the Fords in the final 20 minutes ensured that the host Diplomats got no closer than seven points at any time during the second half. One of just the two occasions during which Franklin & Marshall trailed by seven came with 1:06 remaining in regulation, but Haverford made 6-of-8 at the free throw line in its final possessions to secure the win.
When the calendar turns to February, the Fords will be looking for their second consecutive season sweep of a conference opponent when Washington College comes to Haverford next Tuesday for a 6 p.m. tip. The women's game will be following by the men's scheduled start at 8 p.m.