Centennial Conference Championship Central
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team returns to a familiar location on Friday as the Centennial Conference women's basketball tournament opens with semifinal action at the Bream Gymnasium on the campus of Gettysburg College. reached the Centennial Conference Championship in 2018, falling to host Gettysburg before earning the program's first at-large berth and second overall appearance in the NCAA tournament.
BACK TO THE BATTLEFIELD
Third-seeded Haverford will officially mark its eighth straight trip to postseason action with a semifinal showdown against second-seeded Johns Hopkins at 8 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal between top-seeded Gettysburg and fourth-seeded Ursinus, whichever comes later. Haverford enters the contest with a 19-6 record and a 15-5 mark in Centennial Conference play. The Fords need one win to reach the 20-win mark for the third time in program history and for the second consecutive season. The 2017-18 NCAA tournament squad (21-7) joined the 2013-14 Centennial Conference championship team (24-4) as the two team's in program history to reach the mark.
HAVERFORD IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS
In the latest NCAA Division III regional rankings release, Haverford is again slotted fifth in the Mid-Atlantic grouping. The rankings, which are part of the criteria that ultimately lead to the selection of at-large bids to the NCAA tournament, were the final set of rankings to be released ahead of the announcement for the tournament's 64-team field on Monday, February 25. Scranton, Messiah, Gettysburg, and Johns Hopkins are the top four teams in the Mid-Atlantic this week. Haverford was fifth in the initial rankings release before sliding to seventh a week ago.
SCOUTING THE FORDS
The Fords have benefited from one of the stingiest defenses in the country as Haverford enters the contest allowing the eighth-fewest points per game in all of Division III (48.5). The Fords also limit fouls and turnovers, with the seventh-fewest fouls per contest and the 18th-fewest turnovers in the division. Haverford's team field goal percentage of 41.9 percent is tops in the Centennial Conference. Defensively, the Fords hold opponents to just 34.2 percent from the field. Haverford has also excelled from three-point land, knocking down 33.1 percent of its shots from long distance. Sharpshooters senior Macy Goldbach (13.5 ppg) and junior Anna-Sophia Capizzi (11.3 ppg) both rank within the top 10 in the Centennial Conference in three-point percentage.
Junior Megan Furch (10.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg) provides a formidable post presence for the squad, while junior Maddie Gallic has been a versatile player, stuffing the stat sheet (8 ppg, 5.6 rpg) on a nightly basis. Senior guard Katie Cook has been one of the top point guards in the Centennial, with a 2.1 assist to turnover ratio, the best mark amongst guards in the tournament. Rotational depth has been another key to Haverford's run of success this season, with nightly contributions from the bench paced by sophomore and reigning Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year Julianna Clark (7.5 ppg). First year post player Caroline Andersen (team-best 22 blocks) figures to see extended playing time while junior Hannah Zoll, sophomore Nyla Robinson, and first year Lauren Howard will also figure to see key minutes off the bench.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
The Fords face a tough test on Friday night, matching up with a Johns Hopkins squad (22-3, 18-2 CC) that took both of the regular season meetings between the two teams. The Blue Jays won at Gooding Arena on January 5, taking a nine-point victory. Less than two weeks later during the rematch in Baltimore, the Fords mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback before falling on the final possession of the contest in a 61-58 Johns Hopkins triumph. This will be Haverford's first postseason matchup with the Blue Jays since the 2014 Centennial Conference final, a 66-56 victory at Gooding Arena. The Fords have not faced off with the Blue Jays at a neutral site in postseason action.
Lillian Scott is the conference's second-leading scorer and paces Johns Hopkins with 17.4 points per game while Lexie Scholtz has added 13 points per game. Rory Cole is averaging 9.8 rebounds per contest.
Gettysburg (21-4, 18-2 CC) split with the Fords this season, taking a three-point victory at Gooding Arena in December before Haverford handed the Bullets their first Centennial Conference loss, eclipsing the hosts by 21 points on January 26. Last season, Gettysburg edged Haverford at home in the Centennial Championship game, 44-35. Emma Dorshimer (17.7 points per game) is the conference's leading scorer and leading three-point ace (46.8 percent). Meredith Brown has tallied a team-best 6.7 rebounds.
The Fords swept the season series from Ursinus (17-9, 13-7), taking a 55-54 victory from the Bears in Collegeville back in November before eking out a late January win at home, 57-53. Lydia Konstanzer (15 ppg) and Aliyah Stephens (14.2 ppg) are the leading scorers for Ursinus, while Konstanzer nearly averages a double-double with 9.1 rebounds per contest added to her ledger.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For Haverford supporters looking to make the trip to Gettysburg, admission for each session is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Children 12 and under as well as students from participating institutions, who present their ID, will be admitted free of charge. Live video and stats will be available for each of the three games on the weekend via CentennialConference.tv. Fans are encouraged to check with HaverfordAthletics.com and @HCFords_Sports on Twitter for the latest updates.