Sierra Berkel, Haverford
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team advanced to the Centennial Conference semifinals with a thrilling 58-55 victory over the Gettysburg College Bullets at the Gooding '84 Arena on Tuesday night.
The Fords got their offense off to a hot start as they made their first four field goal attempts including three from beyond the arc to jump in front 11-2 at 17:54 mark. Gettysburg slowly crept back into the game to get within two (13-11) with 11:40 to go as Haverford went 1-of-9 from the field during that span.
The Bullets eventually tied the game at 19 all as 5:07 remained on the clock in the first half and took their first lead of the game a minute later after a three-pointer from Kim Ryan (22-21). Junior Olivia Walsh's layup gave the home team the advantage once more with just under 90 seconds to play, but two free-throws gave the visitors a 24-23 lead heading into halftime. Senior Elizabeth Lynch and freshman Sierra Berkel paced the Fords recording six points each in the first stanza.
On the opening possession of the second half, senior Jacquelyne Pizzuto gave the Fords a lead that they would not relinquish. Gettysburg kept it close as Haverford never led by more than seven points in final 20 minutes of game time. Both offenses shot the ball well in the first 10 minutes of second stanza as the Fords made eight of their first 11 shots (72 percent) while the Bullets were six of their first 12 (50 percent).
A layup by Gettysburg's Jenna Swope cut its deficit to three (53-50) at the 4:07 mark which led to a Haverford timeout. Walsh quickly countered with a three-pointer on the next Fords' possession, but Ryan kept the Bullets within a striking distance on a basket from long range with 3:10 remaining.
Another layup by Swope with 1:24 to go would make the score 56-55, but Pizzuto recorded a right-handed layup to push the Fords' lead back to three as the clock ticked under a minute. The Bullets had two more opportunites to tie the game, but their three-point chances were off the mark.
Berkel led the Fords on 6-of-11 shooting (17 points). She also added eight rebounds including five offensive boards. Lynch pitched in 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Pizzuto tacked on 11 points, six assists and three steals. Both seniors made five of their 10 field goal attempts. Walsh tallied nine points, six rebounds and four assists in the win.
Jessica Porter had a game-high 18 points while Emily Gibbons scored 12 points and snagged seven rebounds in the loss for Gettysburg.
Head coach Bobbi Morgan's squad improved to 16-10 overall while Gettysburg ends its season at 16-9. It's the sixth straight victory for the Fords over the Bullets which includes three wins this season. Haverford's conference title defense continues on Friday at McDaniel, the number one seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament, at 6 p.m. The Green Terror won both matchups over the Fords during the 2014-15 campaign by a combined seven points.