Lindsey Nichols, McDaniel
WESTMINSTER, Md. – McDaniel rallied from a 13-point deficit to notch a 50-47 victory over Haverford in Centennial Conference (CC) women's basketball action on Saturday.
Lindsey Nichols (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark's) led the Green Terror (20-1, 13-1 CC) to its 11th straight win and second straight 20-win season, hitting her final five field-goal attempts to finish with 23 points and help her team overcome its largest deficit of the season.
Jacquelyne Pizzuto led the Fords (12-9, 10-4 CC) with 11 points while Elizabeth Lynch added a game-high 15 rebounds.
Trailing 35-22 on a Samantha Wetzel layup with 13:53 to play, Steph Perez (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) hit a second-chance jumper and Nichols converted a reverse, up-and-under layup after starting the game 1-for-13 to cut the deficit to single digits with 10:26 on the clock.
Nichols canned a triple on the Green Terror's next possession before hitting a pair of free throws with 8:10 showing to trim the deficit to 35-31.
A Pizzuto three-point play stretched the lead back to seven before Nichols and Lynch traded baskets to keep it a 40-33 game with 7:03 remaining.
An Emma Wingerd (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) three-point play once again made it a four-point game before Sierra Berkel stretched the lead back to six with 5:31 to play.
Five straight points from Nichols trimmed the margin to 42-41 just 55 seconds later before Berkel pushed the lead back to three.
A Karli Zeps (Reisterstown, Md./Seton Keough) layup once again made it a one-point game.
Berkel hit the second of two free throws to push the lead back to two with 3:22 to play before Alyssa March (Fallston, Md./Fallston) canned both free throws 17 seconds later to tie the game for the first time.
Two Nichols free throws with 2:20 showing gave McDaniel a 47-45 lead – its first of the game.
Three more free throws stretched the advantage to 50-45 with 59.7 seconds to play.
Olivia Walsh hit a layup with 29.6 seconds to play to cut the deficit to three and the Green Terror missed both free throws with 15.4 seconds on the clock to give Haverford one last chance but the game-tying attempt was blocked by Zeps as the final horn sounded.
Pallavi Juneja hit a 3-pointer to stake the Fords to an early 3-0 lead and the visitors extended the lead to 11-4 before Nichols halted an 0-for-7 start to the game, canning a triple with 14:23 on the clock.
Shelby Taylor (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) trimmed the deficit to 11-9.
Clinging to a 17-15 advantage, Pizzuto and Walsh each hit 3-pointer to extend the lead to eight with 5:33 to play in the opening half.
Jasmine Smith (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) banked in a 3-pointer with 4:07 to play to cut the deficit to five but Wetzel scored the final four points of the half to give Haverford a 27-18 lead at the break.
McDaniel returns to action at home against Dickinson on Wednesday. Game time is 6 p.m.