LANCASTER, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team (2-2) suffered their second non-conference defeat of the season, falling to Lancaster Bible (3-1) by a score of 60-50 under the lights of the Horst Athletic Center on the campus of Lancaster Bible College.
The first six-and-a-half minutes were a back-and-forth affair between the two teams, as the Fords edged out the Chargers 12-9 with just 3:13 remaining in the opening stanza. Haverford went 5-for-9 from the field, with Caroline Orza leading the way by scoring five of the first nine points for the visitors. Coming out of the timeout, Haverford kept their foot on the pedal, outscoring the hosts 5-4 to end the first quarter up 17-13. In the final stretch, the Scarlet and Black saw buckets from Orza and Siena Emuobor, as well as a successful free throw from Abby Ryan.
Out of the quarter break, the Chargers raced out of the gate with a 10-0 scoring run to take the lead, 23-17, prompting a Haverford timeout at the 7:29 mark. During the run, Jenna Dombach added five points off two free throws and a triple for the hosts, while Serene Calderon hit a three-pointer of her own. Rachel Nolt capped off the run with a layup, giving the Chargers a six-point lead. The Fords then battled back, outscoring Lancaster Bible 6-4 to reduce the hosts' lead to 27-23 with 4:32 remaining in the first half. Orza, Emuobor, and Mercer all scored in the paint to bring the deficit within four points. The final 4:32 of the half saw just five points scored between the two teams, as the Chargers carried a 30-25 lead into the halftime break.
At halftime, Calderon led all scorers with 10 points, while Orza paced Haverford with nine first-half points. A key factor in the first half was Lancaster Bible's success from the charity stripe, where the Chargers went 11-for-13.
Much like the first quarter, Lancaster Bible and Haverford traded baskets throughout the third period. The hosts maintained a narrow 9-8 scoring edge, forcing a Haverford timeout at the 3:24 mark with the Chargers leading 38-34. Brianna Feifer stepped up for the Scarlet and Black in the third, contributing five points off a three-pointer and a layup.
However, Lancaster Bible held onto their four-point advantage by shooting 3-for-9 during this stretch, with Keilani Araniva contributing four clutch points. Coming out of the timeout, the Chargers closed the third quarter on a 7-2 scoring run. In that span, Isabella Eufemia sank a triple, while Araniva added a basket in the paint and Dombach converted two more free throws to push the lead to 45-36 heading into the final 10 minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Lancaster Bible saw its lead hover around a 10-point cushion, shooting an impressive 7-for-14 from the field. Dombach added eight more points to help fend off the Fords. Haverford matched Lancaster Bible's field goal efficiency in the quarter, also shooting 7-for-14, with Mercer contributing eight final points on 4-of-5 shooting. Despite their efforts, it was too little, too late for the Fords, as the Chargers secured a 60-50 victory.
Lancaster Bible's victory was fueled by strong performances from Dombach (19 points) and Calderon (17 points), while Haverford was led by Orza (15 points) and Mercer (12 points). The game's turning point occurred at the free-throw line, as the Chargers went 16-for-22 from the stripe compared to just 1-for-7 for the Fords.
The Haverford women's basketball team will continue their challenging stretch of four games in seven days with a stop in nearby Aston, Pa., for a matchup with the Neumann Knights on Thursday, November 21. Tip-off for the primetime bout is set for 7 p.m.
