HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (6-1, 3-1 CC) suffered its first setback of the 2018-19 campaign, falling in a nail-biter to No. 20 Gettysburg (6-1, 4-0 CC), by a final score of 55-52 on Saturday afternoon. In a back-and-forth contest that featured 10 lead changes and seven ties, the outcome was not secured until the final possession. An Emma Dorshimer layup was the last field goal of the contest, giving the visitors a 52-50 lead before the Bullets won the battle at the free-throw line late.
Three Fords tallied in double figures, with junior Anna-Sophia Capizzi matching her newly minted career high in points with 16 points while senior Macy Goldbach scored in double figures for the seventh straight contest, netting 13 while also grabbing four steals and collecting five rebounds. Sophomore Julianna Clark provided a spark off the bench with 11 points. Junior Maddie Gallic notched seven assists, and she was also one of three Fords that had five or more rebounds on the afternoon.
Back-to-back layups from Capizzi gave Haverford their first four points of the contest, and a Megan Furch runner put Haverford ahead 6-5 with just two minutes played as the initial moments of the game were played at a ferocious pace. Sharp shooting prevailed from both sides as the squads were tied at 10-10 midway through the first quarter. Capizzi completed a three-point play to give Haverford the 15-10 advantage with 3:01 to play in the first and Julianna Clark later provided a jolt of energy off the bench, netting a pair of layups in the final minutes of the stanza as the Fords took a 19-12 lead into the second.
Gettysburg jetted out on a spurt to begin the second quarter, taking a brief 25-23 lead behind a three-pointer from Christina Richson before Clark answered with a trey of her own on the other end to restore the Haverford advantage at 26-25. Richson connected again from long range, giving Gettysburg a 28-26 advantage with 4:02 to play in the half. Capizzi tied the score with a layup on the other end, but a 4-0 Bullets run allowed the visitors to head to intermission with a four-point lead at 32-28.
A 6-0 run for Gettysburg to open the half gave the visitors a 10-point cushion at 38-28, but the run would be stopped by yet another Capizzi bucket. Haverford chipped away at the double-digit lead, using a 12-5 spurt at one time to pull to within just one at 43-42.
A Goldbach three began the fourth quarter, leveling the score at 45-45. A Furch layup gave Haverford another tie at 47-47, and Goldbach gave Haverford back a 50-49 lead with a trey with 6:16 to go in regulation. Ashley Gehrin tied the score at 50-50 from the free-throw line with 5:42 remaining, and Dorshimer got to the bucket for a layup with just over four minutes to play, giving Gettysburg the lead at 52-50.
The Bullets' advantage would hold from that point, as the two teams would be held scoreless until Goldbach was sent to the free-throw line with just 30 seconds remaining. Goldbach converted on the front end as the Bullets regained possession in the waning seconds. Forced to foul, Haverford saw Ashley Gehrin sink a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 54-51. Katie Cook was fouled with under 10 seconds to play, netting one of two to cut the lead to 54-52, but Dorshimer hit one of her free throws on the other end before Haverford's game-tying three-point attempt was off the mark, sending the Bullets to a victory.
Haverford faces another tough test at home on Wednesday, as the Fords battle Centennial Conference semifinalist Muhlenberg (6-0, 3-0 CC) on at 6 p.m.
Last season, the Fords vanquished the nationally-ranked Mules twice, once at Gooding '84 Arena during the regular season, and again on a neutral court at the Centennial Conference tournament. The highly anticipated matchup will be followed by the Haverford men taking on Franklin & Marshall at 8 p.m.