HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (12-5, 10-3 CC) returned to Gooding '84 Arena to take on visitors from Muhlenberg (7-8, 6-4 CC) on Wednesday, defeating the Mules by a final score of 66-53. With the win, the Fords remain second in the Centennial Conference standings. Kayla Robinson led all scorers with 20 points in her double-double performance as she grabbed 13 rebounds. The performance was Robinson's 13th double-double of the season.
Haverford was all over the visitors early as Erin Albright kicked the action off with a three-pointer. Soon after, Albright grabbed a steal that eventually set up a made basket from Cortlyn Morris. Robinson made a basket followed by Albright's fifth point in the early minutes and the Fords held a quick 9-0 advantage. It was a dream start for Haverford and one they needed. The Mules would end the scoring run with a layup that came at 7:23 but that basket didn't necessarily slow down the Fords momentum. Behind baskets from Robinson, Abby Ryan, and Landau, Haverford eventually led 17-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started with the Fords extending the lead to ten points thanks to shots from Morris and Siena Emuobor. It was certainly a quarter of solid bench production for Haverford as three different reserves scored in the stretch. Eleanor Alix scored a layup at 6:19 and Summer Ryan did the same at the 4:26 mark. After that spurt, Landau scored five straight points for the Fords to give Haverford an 11-point lead with two minutes left to go until halftime. The Mules did their best to keep the deficit manageable but still trailed 34-25 when the halftime buzzer sounded.
It never seemed like Haverford would waver. Whenever Muhlenberg got the lead below 10, the Fords pushed it back to double-digits also immediately. Albright made the Haverford lead 13 points at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter. Albright finished the game with seven points and four rebounds in her 32 minutes of action. Still, the Mules kept fighting, trailing by only eight points heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter started and it was much of the same. The Fords got stops when needed and got crucial baskets from Robinson and Alix before Landau took over down the stretch. Alix finished the game with four points and three rebounds, playing the most minutes of any Ford off the bench (25). There just wasn't much the Mules could do on the defensive end to slow down the hosts as the early lead built in the first quarter was too much to overcome. A 10-4 run in the final minute allowed the Fords to pull away.
Haverford shot decently from the floor, connecting at 44.6 percent from the field and outscoring Muhlenberg in the paint, 36-32. The Fords caused 12 Muhlenberg turnovers and turned those miscues into 17 points. The defense from the hosts proved critical in holding a double-digit lead throughout the night. Landau (19 points, five assists) and Robinson both finished with two steals while Morris totaled two blocks to go with her 10 points and six rebounds.
Margaux Eripret and Ava Connolly each added 12 points while Caroline Horst and Katie McGrath tallied 10 apiece for the visitors.
Haverford will hit the road next for an away contest at Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, January 21, an opponent in which the Fords have 19 consecutive victories dating back to 2012. The tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 3 p.m.