LANCASTER, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team (13-5, 10-3 CC) traveled to Lancaster for a conference battle with hosts Franklin & Marshall (6-10, 3-8 CC) on Saturday afternoon. The Fords earned the win by a score of 50-46 to hold onto their second position in the Centennial Conference standings. Kayla Robinson finished the game with yet another double-double performance as she scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Gia Flamini made an immediate impact after missing the previous four games, scoring 13 points in her return to the lineup.
The action was even to start as Ally Landau opened the scoring with a three-pointer. The teams then took turns scoring in an evenly matched first quarter. Landau knocked down two threes in the first quarter while the Fords also got scoring contributions from Robinson and Flamini in that stretch. The first quarter ended with Haverford holding a narrow 11-9 lead. The Fords made three shots from beyond the arc in that opening frame, one more than they made the entire match-up with Muhlenberg on Wednesday.
After the second quarter, Haverford still held on to just a two-point lead. In the first half, the Fords shot 36.7 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Diplomats 20-17. Franklin & Marshall managed to limit turnovers, only committing four in the first half, knowing well that Haverford punishes teams who turn the ball over. Robinson finished the half with 12 points to lead all scorers, with Landau right behind her with eight.
The Fords got hot in the third quarter to build a sizable lead. Flamini scored the first four points for Haverford. Robinson and Cortlyn Morris then took over in the paint knocking down clutch shots on back-to-back possessions. Another minute passed before Robinson's layup extended the visitors' lead to nine with just under three minutes left. However, the Diplomats wouldn't go away. Franklin & Marshall battled back to get within three points going into the final quarter, as Landau began to struggle from the field.
Flamini continued her hot shooting in the fourth quarter, knocking down an early three. Following that three, Morris knocked down a pair of free throws to push the lead back to eight points. Seven minutes remained in the game and the Diplomats got a key basket from Lizzie Neville, but Landau responded right back with a layup. With the score at 47-42 in favor of the Fords with 4:52 remaining, both teams went scoreless in the next two minutes until Flamini knocked down a free throw. The field goal drought for both teams ended as Kennedy Wilburn cut the Haverford lead to four with just two minutes remaining in the game.
Another scoreless drought lasted until the Diplomats scored with only 10 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 48-46. Now having to play the foul game, the Diplomats put Landau on the line, who made both of her attempts to extend the Haverford lead to four with eight seconds remaining. In the end, it would be enough for the Fords as Franklin & Marshall couldn't convert to extend the game.
Landau finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Morris was once again a force on defense registering three steals, three blocks, and six rebounds. It wasn't always pretty from the Fords in the box score but they left Lancaster with a hard-fought win. The Fords won the rebounding battle 42-40, but trailed in just about every category in the box score beside the final score.
Haverford will next travel to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for an away contest at Washington College on Thursday, January 26. The tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 8 p.m.