NEW YORK – The Haverford College women's basketball team (0-1) opened the 2026–27 season Sunday afternoon against perennial Division III powerhouse No. 2 NYU (1-0), falling 95-52 at the John A. Paulson Center in the debut of first-year head coach Andre Gibbs.
The Fords showed some strong promise in a competitive opening quarter, trailing by just one point after 10 minutes, before the Violets used a decisive second-period surge to pull away.
Audrey Jakway paced Haverford with 18 points, connecting on seven of her 12 field-goal attempts, including four three-pointers on six tries.
Jakway also collected five rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot while playing 38 minutes.
Shae Mercer and
Georgia Koff-Gilmore added 10 points apiece, with Mercer directing the offense with a game-high eight assists.
Haverford opened the contest with confidence against the nationally ranked hosts. Mercer put the Fords on the board with a jumper just 31 seconds into the game, and
Emily Abramovitch followed with a three-pointer to give Haverford an early 5-0 advantage. After NYU answered from beyond the arc, Jakway finished a layup off a Mercer assist to extend the lead to 7-3.
The Violets responded with seven consecutive points to move ahead 10-7, but Haverford continued to answer.
Alyssa Aslam knocked down a jumper before Koff-Gilmore converted a layup and followed with a three-pointer, putting the Fords back in front 14-13 with 3:52 remaining in the opening period.
The teams traded the lead throughout the closing minutes of the quarter.
Lily Zawisny connected on a jumper to give Haverford a 17-16 edge, and
Bri Heafey buried a three-pointer with 36 seconds remaining to bring the Fords within 21-20 at the end of the first.
Haverford shot an impressive 72.7 percent from the field in the opening quarter, converting eight of 11 attempts while connecting on three of five shots from beyond the arc. The Fords also recorded seven assists on their eight made field goals, demonstrating strong ball movement against one of the nation's top programs.
NYU began to create separation in the second quarter, opening the period with 12 unanswered points to build a 33-20 advantage. The Violets capitalized on Haverford turnovers and found success in the paint, while the Fords struggled to maintain their offensive rhythm against the hosts' defensive pressure.
Urvi Iyer ended the run with a free throw, but NYU continued to extend its lead behind Yasmene Clark and Aila Kaibara. Mercer provided a spark at the foul line, converting three consecutive free throws to make it 38-24 with 4:30 remaining. The Violets responded with another scoring surge before Jakway connected from beyond the arc with four seconds left in the half, sending Haverford into the locker room trailing 50-29.
The Fords looked to regain their offensive footing after the break, with Koff-Gilmore knocking down a three-pointer early in the third quarter. Jakway then took over a stretch of the period, finishing a layup before connecting from beyond the arc to bring Haverford within 58-37 with 7:16 remaining.
NYU answered with another run, as Kaibara and Clark continued to find success offensively. Mercer added three more free throws during the quarter, but the Violets maintained control, taking a 74-42 advantage into the final 10 minutes. Haverford continued to compete in the fourth, with Koff-Gilmore opening the period with a jumper. Jakway supplied the bulk of the Fords' offense down the stretch, knocking down consecutive three-pointers before adding a layup with 3:23 remaining. The forward scored eight of Haverford's 10 fourth-quarter points, finishing the afternoon with a team-high 18.
Mercer complemented her 10 points and eight assists with three rebounds and three steals, converting eight of her 10 attempts from the free-throw line. Koff-Gilmore finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. Abramovitch contributed five points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Heafey chipped in four points. Haverford finished the afternoon shooting 38.1 percent from the field, including an impressive 42.1 percent from three-point range (8-of-19). The Fords also distributed 13 assists on 16 made field goals and recorded 10 steals.
NYU was led by Kaibara, who scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including four three-pointers. Brooke Batchelor added 15 points and eight assists, while Clark contributed 14 points and seven rebounds. Aizlyn Albanese chipped in 11 points off the bench, and Zahra Alexander finished with 10. The Violets shot 53.5 percent from the floor and connected on 12 three-pointers, while holding a 38-26 rebounding advantage. NYU also capitalized on 33 Haverford turnovers, converting those opportunities into 36 points.
The contest marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Fords under Gibbs, who made his Haverford head coaching debut against one of the nation's premier Division III programs. Despite the result, Haverford's strong opening quarter and Jakway's efficient scoring performance provided encouraging moments as the Scarlet and Black began their 2026–27 campaign.
The Fords now return to action on Tuesday, November 10, taking on Stockton at 7:30 p.m. under the lights of Gooding Arena in the home opener.
