ALLENTOWN, Pa. - In another classic battle between two Centennial Conference sides that have delivered many close contests in the past several years, the Haverford College women's basketball team (11-5, 8-5 CC) came away with a 61-51 victory over Muhlenberg (6-7, 2-6 CC) at Memorial Hall in Allentown on Wednesday.
Reigning Centennial Conference Player of the Week Ally Landau again made her mark on the thrilling contest, stuffing the box score with 24 points and six assists. Landau added six three-pointers, tied for the second-most in the program's single-game history.
In addition to the prowess shown by Landau, Caroline Andersen notched 14 points off the bench. Cortlyn Morris was a two-way force yet again, with nine points, nine rebounds, five assists, and six blocks. Kayla Robinson pulled down a game-best nine rebounds.
Haverford began the contest with another near-flawless start, notching the first 14 points of the game as Gia Flamini and Landau both fired treys ahead of a three-point play from Andersen. The stretch eventually hit 18-2, with Andersen contributing four consecutive free throws as Haverford looked like it may be able to cruise, in command with 41 seconds remaining in the first stanza.
The hosts had other plans for the evening, determined to claw right back into the contest. Muhlenberg fired off a three from Emily Vaughn with 32 seconds left in the first, and the conversion from beyond the arc served as a major catalyst for the Mules offense, with a methodical second quarter containing an 18-4 stretch. The sustained spurt helped catapult the hosts right into the thick of things, down just two with 1:49 remaining in the first following a successful layup from Meredith Unger.
In the second half, Muhlenberg continued its hot stretch from the first, tying the contest at 24 with another quick 4-0 run to start the stanza. Flamini then found the basket from deep to give the Fords a three-point lead with 6:54 left in the half, and eventually the visitors wrestled control back with a 14-5 run that spanned much of the third. With 2:40 showing on the third quarter clock, Haverford was ahead by 10 as Landau again tallied three from long range.
Undaunted, Muhlenberg had another gasp, pulling back to within three themselves with back-to-back treys from Abigail Scheidel and Rachel Saxton ahead of a free-throw from Amanda Gorski. With the lead suddenly tenuous, Eleanor Alix joined the three-point brigade to push the lead back to six, but Muhlenberg again answered on its following offensive possession.
The Mules were back within one in the opening minutes of the final quarter, as the Fords again called on Landau to put out the fire. The sophomore delivered back-to-back three-pointers to begin to slow the Muhlenberg tide. Another 6-0 run from the hosts trimmed the Haverford lead to just one, but again it was Landau from deep with 2:57 remaining, giving Haverford the cushion it would not relinquish.
Landau had her hot stroke going into the final moments, with another dagger three coming with 1:05 to play in regulation, wrapped around Morris and Andersen layups as the Fords finally stamped out any last-ditch chance of another Muhlenberg comeback in the roller-coaster of a contest.
Haverford hit a season-best 10 three-pointers, with Landau's six eclipsing the team's previous high of five on her own. Haverford held a slight 39-37 edge on the glass, and took advantage of 15 Mules turnovers. The Fords have now won three consecutive contests against Muhlenberg.
Women's Basketball now returns to action on Saturday, wrapping up the season series with Franklin & Marshall at 1 p.m. inside Gooding Arena. The contest will be followed by the men's team taking on the Diplomats at approximately 3 p.m.