HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (3-2, 2-0 CC) continued Centennial Conference play at home, hosting Washington College (3-2, 1-1 CC) and defeating the Shorewomen by a final score of 56-51. The Fords used a 14-0 run to start the game and never looked back. Ally Landau scored over 20 points for the fourth straight game, while Kayla Robinson secured her third straight double-double and fourth in the opening five games of action.
The men's and women's basketball teams wore special blue warm-ups and socks in the tradition of Blue Night for Type 1 Diabetes Awareness on Tuesday night. The tradition began last year when Summer Ryan '25 sought a way to incorporate Haverford Athletics in celebration of November, which is National Diabetes Month.
Landau and Robinson are simply getting it done to start conference play but it wasn't the duo that got the Fords off to a hot start. Gia Flamini kicked things off with a three, as she is looking for her shot more and more this season. Registering her first career start for Haverford, Abby Ryan scored four points in the opening three minutes, proving she was up to the task of conference play in the talented Centennial Conference.
Ryan finished the game with six points, six rebounds, and four blocks. Cortlyn Morris also got in on the scoring action as Haverford jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. Robinson wasn't involved until her back-to-back baskets forced Washington College to take the game's first timeout.
The Fords' defensive tenacity is the backbone of this roster, forcing the Shorewomen into 15 turnovers and also totaling 11 blocks. Ryan and Morris clogged up the paint to combine for nine of the team's 11 blocks. Morris came into the game sitting third in Haverford history for career blocks with 159. After registering five blocks, Morris jumped Brittany Lattisaw (2005-09) for second on the all-time list. Morris, at 164 blocks sits only behind Samantha Wetzel on the all-time list who registered 274 blocks in her career.
Oddly enough, Landau didn't score a single point in the first quarter but there wasn't a chance that was happening again in the second quarter. With the Fords' already leading 21-3, Landau buried a three to open the scoring in the second quarter. However, it was a combination of Ryan and Robinson carrying the scoring load with well-timed baskets to keep Washington College at a distance. The Shorewomen got within ten points on a few occasions and finally got the lead to single digits with 2:17 left until halftime. Eventually, the half would end with Haverford hanging onto a 29-21 advantage going into the third quarter.
Landau scored 19 of the team's 27 second-half points and was a crucial part in holding off Washington College in their comeback efforts. Haverford were outscored 19-10 in the fourth quarter, causing a slight scare throughout the game's action. The Shorewomen battled back to cut the Haverford lead to just two with 41 seconds left to play, but Landau knocked down two clutch free-throws to make it a two-possession game and essentially put the game out of reach.
It wasn't the best shooting night for either team as they both could not crack 30 percent, but that could be attributed to the sides taking turns in amping up the defensive pressure. Haverford knocked down seven threes compared to Washington College's two and that proved to be the difference. Morris finished nine points and five rebounds to go along with her five blocks. Robinson finished the game with ten points and 13 rebounds, while Landau finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The Fords will now wait a week before they return to action on Tuesday, November 29, paying a visit to conference rivals Swarthmore. The game's tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and is once again the first of a doubleheader, as the men's team will also face the Garnet at 8 p.m.