HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team (1-0) began its 2018-19 season with a resounding 58-36 victory over visiting Immaculata (0-2) on Tuesday night inside the Gooding '84 Arena. Haverford started the season with a victory for the second straight campaign, and the Fords have now won the last seven meetings with the Mighty Macs dating back to 2011.
Senior co-captain Macy Goldbach poured in 20 points on an 8-19 effort from the field. Senior co-captain Katie Cook eclipsed Jessica Hurt '99 for second all-time in Haverford career history with five assists on the evening. Cook now has 282 helpers for her career. Cook will now look to chase down Jacquelyne Pizzuto '15 who holds the program career record with 407.
Megan Furch had a solid season opener, with a career-best 12 points to go with six rebounds. Nyla Robinson added a career-best four points and four rebounds. The Fords added 39 rebounds as a team. Maddie Gallic tied a career best with three steals, a third of Haverford's nine for the contest.
The new-look Fords lineup shot a shade over 40 percent for the contest, including a 50 percent clip in the first quarter. The Mighty Macs were able to stick with Haverford in the early moments, but the Fords took a 14 point lead on Robinson's three-pointer with 3 minutes to go in the first half. Anna-Sophia Capizzi followed Robinson's trey with one of her own with just under two minutes left in the period, and the Fords headed into the halftime break with a 32-17 advantage.
Haverford began the second half on an 11-4 spurt, with Goldbach knocking down one of her two threes in the stretch to begin the third quarter. Immaculata found itself down 21 with under four minutes to play in the stanza, calling for timeout with hopes of mounting a comeback effort.
A Shannon Kelly three in the early run of the fourth quarter allowed Immaculata to cut the lead to just 16, and Theresa Kearney later cut the lead to 15 with a bucket that came with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. The Fords were able to cruise regardless, with a Furch Layup at 2:50 restoring a 20-point cushion.
First year forwards Caroline Andersen and Lauren Howard each made their collegiate debuts, with Andersen tallying five points and grabbing five rebounds while Howard added her first career rebound. Ali Weiner also made her collegiate debut as the senior played the final 35 seconds of action after joining the Fords from the women's soccer team earlier this month.
Immaculata was paced by Amber Ballinger who added eight points on a 3-10 night from the field. Brielle Rigo finished with seven points and grabbed six rebounds while Kearney also netted seven points and added five rebounds in a losing effort. Turnovers were a problem for the Mighty Macs, as the visitors allowed 21 giveaways.
The Fords will return to action on Saturday, as the squad travels to Lancaster, Pa. for the Terry Greene Tip-Off Classic at Franklin & Marshall. Action at the Mayser Center begins at 1 p.m. as the Fords face Washington and Lee for just the second time in program history before returning on Sunday for a showdown with Elizabethtown at 1 p.m