HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford women's basketball team fell to visiting Muhlenberg in Centennial Conference action on Thursday evening. The Fords controlled much of the game, but a fourth-quarter rally allowed the Mules to complete a stunning comeback, capped by a buzzer-beater from Ava Connolly, for a 57-55 victory inside Gooding Arena.
Haverford (8-10, 2-6 CC) led by as many as 15 points and carried a 46-33 advantage into the final quarter. However, Muhlenberg (13-5, 4-4 CC) outscored the Fords 24-9 in the final 10 minutes, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on offensive rebounds and second-chance points to erase the deficit and stun the home crowd. The Mules shot 50 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, as Connolly poured in 11 points and Rachel Saxton notched five steals.
For the contest, Audrey Jakway led Haverford with 20 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double, while Caroline Orza hit a trio of three-pointers and finished with 10 points. The Fords went 9-of-24 from beyond the arc and forced 16 turnovers, dictating the tempo through the first three quarters.
Haverford got off to a strong start, outscoring Muhlenberg 20-17 in the first quarter after Shae Mercer tied things at 9-9 with a layup that came at 5:59 remaining. Haverford continued its strong start, extending the lead to 37-23 at halftime. A 12-0 run to close the half put the Fords in command, with Orza drilling a triple at the 1:31 mark and adding a free throw to cap the surge.
A sluggish third quarter saw limited scoring, though Muhlenberg opened the frame with a 4-0 run before the Fords stretched the lead back to double digits at 40-29 with 4:03 remaining. Layups by Jakway and Grace Leverton pushed Haverford's advantage to 13 entering the final quarter.
Brianna Feifer gave the Fords their largest lead at 15 with 9:42 left in regulation, but from there, Muhlenberg mounted its furious comeback. Connolly and Saxton chipped away at the deficit, with Connolly's three-pointer cutting the lead to single digits just under the nine-minute mark. Another deep shot from Connolly made it 48-42 with 8:07 remaining. Abby Ryan restored a nine-point cushion with a layup at the 5:39 mark, but a 6-1 Muhlenberg spurt pulled the visitors within four at 54-50 in the closing moments.
After a Haverford turnover, Saxton converted a three-point play to make it a one-point game with only 40 seconds to go. Following another turnover, Muhlenberg grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds on the ensuing possession before Katie McGrath finished a layup to give the Mules their first lead with 12 seconds remaining. Jakway tied the score at the free-throw line, but on the ensuing inbound, Connolly broke free for the game-winner as time expired, sealing a dramatic win for the visitors.
Haverford will return to action on Saturday, hosting #22 Johns Hopkins in its annual Play With Pride game. Tip-off inside the Gooding '84 Arena is set for 1 p.m.