HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (7-15, 4-13 CC) secured a Centennial Conference win in front of the home fans at Gooding '84 Arena on Tuesday evening, triumphing over Muhlenberg (12-10, 7-10 CC) with a final score of 44-41.
The Fords displayed strength on both sides of the ball throughout the victory, commanding a 50-39 edge in rebounding and outshooting the Mules 30.4 percent to 25 percent. Audrey Jakway achieved a double-double, the first of her career, with a career-best 11 rebounds in the contest. Gia Flamini led all scorers with 13 points, while Shae Mercer grabbed 12 rebounds and scored seven points in a well-rounded effort for the first-year guard.
Haverford came out firing, initiating the contest with an 8-4 spurt as Flamini made a triple with 5:53 remaining in the first quarter. Muhlenberg responded, tying the score at 8-8 following back-to-back jumpers from Ava Connolly and Rachel Saxton. The Fords eventually fell behind 15-10 with 7:29 to go in the second frame as Emily Unger completed a three-point play.
Undaunted, Mercer and Jakway connected, with Jakway contributing a three-pointer and a layup to give the Fords the lead, completing a tidy 7-0 run with 3:32 to play before halftime. Saxton answered from downtown on the next Muhlenberg possession, but a Mercer triple with 1:13 to go provided Haverford with a four-point cushion. Connolly connected in the final minute to bring her side back within two as the teams headed to the locker room.
Flamini was fouled on a three-point attempt in the first minute of the second half and calmly knocked down all three free-throws ahead of jumpers from Erin Albright, Jakway, and Brianna Feifer. Suddenly, Haverford was cruising on a 9-0 run to begin the second half, with Muhlenberg held scoreless for the first eight minutes of the third quarter. Caroline Horst finally stopped the run, but Flamini completed a three-point play to put Haverford up by nine with 1:21 to go in the stanza. Siena Emuobor added her first bucket of the night in the waning moments of the frame.
The two sides were held scoreless to begin the fourth quarter, with Connolly finally breaking the ice with a key triple at 7:15 to go, bringing the Mules back within two possessions at 36-30. Flamini and Jakway found buckets to give Haverford a 10-point cushion, but some late-game prowess from the visitors kept things close. A quick 5-0 spurt for the Mules eventually turned into an 11-2 stretch that brought Muhlenberg right back into the contest, suddenly down by just 1 with under 30 seconds to play.
Haverford called for a timeout, and with the Fords not yet in the bonus, Muhlenberg was forced to foul three times in rapid succession as precious seconds ticked off the clock, eventually putting senior Ally Landau at the charity stripe. Landau added both of her shots to extend the cushion back to three, and despite having a look at the tying bucket in the closing seconds, Connolly saw her three-point shot sail off target as the Fords secured the victory.
Although the final result favored the Fords, Connolly was the leading scorer in Tuesday's contest, pouring in 17 points. Jenna Stockfeder matched Mercer with 12 rebounds.
Haverford now returns to action in the 2024 home finale, hosting Franklin & Marshall for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night on Thursday, February 8. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. inside Gooding Arena.