2022 Centennial Conference Women's Basketball Championship Central
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team returns to a familiar address on Friday as the Centennial Conference women's basketball tournament opens with semifinal action at the Bream Gymnasium on the campus of Gettysburg College. The Fords and Bullets have faced off in each of the last three Centennial Conference championship games, with the Fords coming away with the 2019 and 2020 Centennial crowns as part of a string of three consecutive postseason berths. Haverford joins stalwart Johns Hopkins and upstart Washington College in advancing to the semifinal round this season.
SO WE MEET AGAIN ….
Third-seeded Haverford will officially mark its 10th 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 fifth-seeded Washington College, whichever comes later. Haverford enters the contest with a 18-7 record and a 14-6 mark in Centennial Conference play under first year head coach Steph Carideo. The Fords need to win the conference championship to reach the 20-win mark for the fifth time in program history overall and for the fourth consecutive season.
SCOUTING THE FORDS
The Fords have benefited from the stingiest defense in the entire country as Haverford enters the contest allowing the fewest points per game in all of Division III (45.0). The Fords also vastly limit turnovers, with the 11th fewest turnovers per contest in the division (13.1). A bevy of stellar individual performances have been perhaps overshadowed by the team's defensive pressure and grind-it-out style, finding ways to win games in close battles in the waning moments of contests.
Despite the defensive prowess, Haverford still boasts a multi-faceted offensive approach with guard play from Ally Landau (16.3 ppg) and Gia Flamini (5.4 ppg) setting the tone for the interior presence of Cortlyn Morris (10.1 ppg), Caroline Andersen (8.0 ppg) and Kayla Robinson (8.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg) most nights. Robinson has emerged as a force in her junior campaign, with a conference-best 10.9 rebounds per game during the CC slate. In total this season, Robinson has contributed 112 offensive boards, 37 steals, and 15 blocks. Erin Albright (2.8 ppg) has a knack for hitting big shots and has notched 11 games with multiple steals. Morris has continued to register as the difference maker on the defensive end, with 73 total blocks to her ledger during her junior campaign, a mark that is good for the third-best single season in program history. Her 2.9 blocks per contest leads the Centennial and is seventh in the nation.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
The semifinal matchup with the Blue Jays figures to be a defensive battle as JHU is just behind the Fords in third in the nation in scoring defense (46.4) as well as third in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 30.1 percent clip from the field. Under the leadership of Katherine Bixby, the Jays have sprinted out to a 21-3 record (18-2 CC). The 18 conference wins matches the program record on the Homewood campus.
Diarra Oden (16.5 ppg) does much of the heavy lifting offensively for the Jays, while Emily Howie (7.1 ppg) has been called upon routinely to create plays, as she ranks second in the CC with 4.2 assists per game. Defensively, Howie averages 1.8 steals per contest. Contributions from newcomers Greta Miller (6.5 ppg), Michaela O'Neil (5.5), Jadyn Murray (5.4), and Natalie Mann (4.3) have also been a key cog in the success of the Blue Jays, with that grouping making their impact felt on the scoresheet in their first seasons in Baltimore.
SERIES HISTORY
Two of the last four matchups with the Blue Jays have gone to overtime, including a narrow loss earlier this season in Baltimore as Diarra Oden came up big late after Haverford stifled the JHU star throughout regulation. Haverford and JHU are 2-2 in Centennial Conference tourney action. Haverford grabbed a momentous victory en route to the CC title in 2019, as the two sides met in the second semifinal at Gettysburg. Julianna Clark '21 drilled the game-winner with under 30 seconds remaining in that contest to propel the Fords to the championship game against the host Bullets.
TROPHIES, TROPHIES
Haverford has won the Centennial Conference title three times in total (2014, 2019, 2020). That total is fourth in the conference behind 10-time champion Muhlenberg and four-time champs McDaniel and Johns Hopkins. Gettysburg has won the crown twice (2013 and 2018) while Washington College is making its first semifinal appearance in program history.
WE NEED YOUR NOISE
For Haverford supporters looking to make the trip to Gettysburg, admission for each session is $5 for adults and $3 for students ages 13-18. Cash will only be accepted at the door. Children 12 and under as well as students from participating institutions, who present their ID, will be admitted free of charge. Universal masking is required at all times within Bream Gymnasium. No food or drink will be permitted in Bream Gym or in the athletic building and concessions will be closed.
FOLLOW FROM HOME
Live video and stats will be available for each of the three games on the weekend via the Centennial Conference Digital Network. Fans are encouraged to check with HaverfordAthletics.com and @HCFords_Sports on Twitter for the latest updates as well as exclusive content via the @HCFordsSports and @HCFordsWBB instagram pages.
SELECTION MONDAY
After automatic bids to the national tournament for Division III are decided this week, the NCAA will announce the at-large teams and bracket on its selection show this coming Monday, February 28 at 2:30 p.m. The NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Selection Show will be streamed live on NCAA.com.