DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team tallied the last seven points of the game Wednesday night to outlast host Delaware Valley College, 64-58, in non-conference action.
Facing a 58-57 deficit with 1:07 remaining, the Fords (7-2) went 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute while putting the clamps on the Aggies' offense.
Calla Miller accounted for the tying and go-ahead points from the charity stripe at the 45-second mark after a Haverford timeout. The Fords' defense then limited Delaware Valley to one shot on the next possession as Rachel Baskin pulled down the defensive rebound. Jacquelyne Pizzuto, the conference leader in foul shooting efficiency, provided some breathing room when she hit two with 31 ticks on the clock to push the Haverford advantage to three, 61-58.
Once again the Fords' defense stood tall as Elizabeth Lynch corralled the rebound from an Eireen Anastasi attempt to tie with 23 seconds remaining. Pizzuto took over from there as she sealed the victory with three more free throws in the final 18 seconds.
The contest featured 11 lead changes including eight in the second half. Delaware Valley (2-6) never led by more than one over the final 20 minutes. After Shannon Barlow broke a late 54-54 tie with a free throw at 1:58, Baskin answered with her second three-pointer of the contest at 1:34 on an assist from Lynch. Bridget Sobon then responded with her own shot from behind the arc with just over a minute remaining in what would be the Aggies' final points of the contest.
Nina Voith provided a boost off the bench in the opening 20 minutes with seven points as the Fords opened their largest lead of the contest (nine) with three minutes remaining until intermission. A late surge by the hosts trimmed Haverford's advantage to one, 31-30, at the break.
Pizzuto finished with a career-high 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Baskin chipped in with 12 points including the Fords' first seven points of the night while Lynch added 11.
Haverford totaled 16 assists on 22 field goals with Lynch and Pizzuto leading the charge with five and four, respectively.
The Fords also did a solid job on the glass as they won the rebounding battle, 48-34. Dominique Meeks, Victoria Sobocinski and Lynch tallied eight boards apiece. A presence on both ends of the floor throughout the night, Lynch additionally registered a season-high three blocks.
Brenna Coll took game-high scoring honors with 21 points to lead Delaware Valley.
Haverford faces another non-conference opponent on Saturday as it welcomes Eastern University to Gooding Arena in the final contest before the semester break. The match-up against the Eagles begins at 1 p.m. Links to live stats and video streaming for the contest are available at www.haverfordathletics.com.