LANCASTER, Pa.- The Haverford College women's basketball team (6-10, 3-8 CC) faced a 52-47 defeat at the hands of Franklin & Marshall (8-8, 3-8 CC) Saturday afternoon at the Mayser Center in Lancaster.
After a scoreless first half, senior guard Ally Landau erupted for a game-best 18 points, all in the final two periods. She connected on three crucial three-pointers, contributing to the Fords late comeback bid. Shae Mercer added 11 points off the bench, and Gia Flamini recorded seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The game started with both squads going a combined 0-for-8 from the field. Siena Emuobor broke the drought with a layup at the 8:19 mark of the first quarter, adding another bucket at 4:26. On the other end of the court, the F&M field goal struggles continued, with the Diplomats going just 1-of-18 from the field in the opening 10 minutes.
Audrey Jakway's driving layup with under a minute left in the first quarter gave Haverford a 6-4 lead in the defensive tussle. Jakway and Mercer extended the lead to 10-4 at the start of the second quarter. Despite Mackenzie Ward's triple for F&M, Mercer added four points for Haverford, including two at the charity stripe, bringing the lead back to five at 12-7 with eight minutes left in the first half.
A 7-0 run for the hosts, featuring another triple from Ward and a four-point play by Jaclyn Feit, helped the Diplomats take an 18-14 lead, their first of the contest, with 5:38 remaining. The Diplomats' overall spurt reached 11-2 before Abby Ryan got on the scoreboard, but another 4-0 run from Franklin & Marshall extended the lead to 22-16 at halftime.
The third quarter saw Ally Trebelev opening the scoring with a triple as the Diplomats lead continued to grow, reaching nine at 25-16. Landau and Ryan helped key a 7-2 run to trim that lead to just four. A 6-2 Diplomats lead restored an eight-point cushion, and Kayla McCrea put F&M up by 11 in the final moments of the third quarter.
A triple from Landau helped the Fords cut the lead to just eight with 7:17 remaining in regulation. Emuobor added two from the free-throw line, and another clutch Landau jumper helped put a bow on a fast 7-0 run as Haverford was back within four points with 4:21 to play. McCrea ended the run with a bucket on the other end, prompting a Haverford timeout with 3:17 to go.
Lizzie Neville added a three-point play for the Diplomats, but Landau connected again to trim the lead to six at 47-41. Haverford called for timeout and found Landau for another big three, bringing Haverford back within a single possession with less than a minute remaining. Forced to foul, Haverford sent McCrea to the line, as she added two. On the ensuing Haverford possession, Mercer got to the bucket as Landau passed to the first-year, and she made a tough shot past the swarming Franklin & Marshall pressure.
With the Diplomats up four at 50-46, Landau was fouled and made one-of-two. The Fords had no choice but to foul again, with Ally Trebelev adding two from the line to seal things for the hosts.
Feit added 16 points to pace her squad, while Trebelev contributed a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds). Haverford held a 43-38 edge on the glass, but committed 14 turnovers to just 10 for F&M.
Haverford now returns to Gooding Arena for a contest with No. 11 Johns Hopkins on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.), concluding the home-and-home series with the Blue Jays. The contest will feature Haverford's annual Senior Varsity Blanket Ceremony at halftime.