Live Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats
2023 Centennial Conference Women's Basketball Championship Central
2023 Centennial Conference Women's Basketball Championship
Tuesday, February 21
#5 seed Muhlenberg at #4 seed Haverford, 7:30 p.m.
#6 seed Washington College at #3 seed Dickinson, 7 p.m.
Friday, February 24
Muhlenberg-Haverford winner at #1 seed Johns Hopkins, 6 p.m.
Washington-Dickinson winner at #2 seed Gettysburg, 7 p.m.
Sunday, February 26
Centennial Conference Championship at higher seed, time TBD
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The 2022-23 regular season ended on Saturday with Haverford (15-9) on a bye, but in a familiar spot. The Fords will enter an 11th consecutive Centennial Conference tournament as the fourth-seeded squad in the tournament. Haverford will stay in the friendly confines of Gooding Arena for a Tuesday night matchup with fifth-seeded Muhlenberg (13-12) to begin championship action at 7:30 p.m. Haverford fans are encouraged to pack the stands, wear black, and GET LOUD!
NEW FORMAT, SAME ENERGY
The Centennial tournament will feature a new look this winter. For the first time ever, six teams will compete in the postseason as the conference has expanded its number of playoff participants from five to six. Also, the higher seed will host each round of the tournament and there is now a day off between the semifinals and championship. The winner of the Haverford-Muhlenberg matchup is ticketed directly to Baltimore on Friday, with a matchup against the top-seeded Blue Jays on deck at 6 p.m. inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
BUILT 'FORD TOUGH
Haverford has been an extremely tough team to beat inside Gooding Arena, this season, as the team went 7-2 at home this season. Haverford has not lost a playoff game at home since the 2017 semifinals against Gettysburg.
YOUR FORDS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Fords come into the contest allowing the third-fewest turnovers in the nation (just 12 per contest) and also have the 19th-ranked scoring defense in the NCAA. The scrappy Centennial Conference features four teams within the top 20 in that category, while Haverford is 14th in blocks per game as a team. Offensively, Kayla Robinson is a presence on the post for Haverford, as she is fourth in the nation in rebounds per game (13.8), and fifth in total rebounds (331). Robinson also paces the conference in steals per game (2.71), and is the top double-double producer in the Centennial with 19 so far this season, a mark good for fifth in the NCAA.
EVEN MORE RANKINGS
Cortlyn Morris (3.75 blocks per game, 90 total blocks) will look to anchor the defensive presence as she is in the top three nationally in both categories while Ally Landau (16.3 ppg) is second in the CC in scoring. Robinson (13.2 ppg), Gia Flamini (8.7 ppg), Morris (7.3 ppg), and Erin Albright (3.9 ppg) figure to be the starters while Abby Ryan (3.4 ppg), Eleanor Alix (1.4 ppg), and Summer Ryan (1.3 ppg) are the key reserves.
SCOUTING THE MULES
The Mules have won 10 CC championships, more than twice as many as any other CC team, and are seeking their first playoff win since the 2017 season, when they captured the title inside Gooding Arena. Margaux Eripret is the leading scorer for Muhlenberg, as she is averaging 13.1 points per game and is also the leading rebounder with 7.8 boards per contest. She is shooting .383 from the field and has also notched 32 blocks and 31 steals. Ava Connolly (7.9 ppg) and Emily Unger (7.5 ppg) also do a lot of heavy lifting on the offensive end.
SEASON SERIES
The two squads split the season series in 2022-23, with each defending home court earlier this year. Haverford took a 66-53 win back on January 18, but the Mules returned serve with a 49-38 triumph on February 7, holding the Fords to their lowest point total of the season. The key on Tuesday may be the turnover battle, as Haverford was able to limit its miscues in the victory on January 18, something that has been a point of pride for a Haverford squad that likes to frustrate teams on the defensive end. A double-double from Caroline Horst proved to be the difference maker in the return game for Muhlenberg (15 points, 14 rebounds) as Haverford was held to just 11.1 percent from three-point range and uncharacteristically lost the turnover battle to a stingy Mules offense.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Muhlenberg holds the all-time edge in the season series, 59-14, but Haverford has won five of the last six meetings between the two programs. The last postseason matchup between the two sides was the Centennial Conference semifinals during the 2017-18 season, as Haverford took down No. 25 Muhlenberg 60-47 in a neutral site matchup at Gettysburg en-route to the Centennial Conference final.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets will be available at the door to Gooding Arena on Tuesday night. Payment can be made via cash or Venmo. Prices: $5 for adults, $3 for youth 13-18, no charge for children 12 and under. Students from Centennial Conference institutions will be admitted free of charge if they present a valid school ID at the gate.
FOLLOW FROM HOME
Live video and stats will be available for each of the three games, into the weekend via the Centennial Conference Digital Network. Fans are encouraged to check with HaverfordAthletics.com and @HCFords_Sports on Twitter for the latest updates as well as exclusive content via the @HCFordsSports and @HCFordsWBB instagram pages.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Haverford has hoisted the Centennial Conference trophy on three occasions (2014, 19, 20), with the last title coming during the 2019-20 season, part of a run of back-to-back titles for the program. Haverford has also earned the top seed on three occasions (2014,17, 20).
SELECTION MONDAY
After automatic bids to the national tournament for Division III are decided this week, the NCAA will announce the at-large teams and bracket on its selection show this coming Monday, February 27 at 2:30 p.m. The NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Selection Show will be streamed live on NCAA.com.