HAVERFORD, PA - Forward Brittany Braxton (So., Pearl River, NY/Nanuet) scored 16 points and pulled down 15 rebounds and forward Emily Weaver (Sr., Prince Frederick, MD/Calverton) added 14 points and 10 boards as the Franklin & Marshall College women's basketball team handled Haverford College 73-65 in Centennial Conference action.
Leading 39-25 at halftime, the Diplomats (2-3, 1-1 Centennial Conference) built the lead up to 18 points as Braxton hit a jumper in the paint at 18:09 and Weaver knocked down a pair of free throws at 17:51 to go ahead 43-25.
Trailing 45-27 following a lay-up by Weaver at 16:16, Haverford (1-3, 0-2 Centennial Conference) began to chip away at the lead as Brittany Lattisaw hit jumpers at 15:52, 13:49, 12:57 and 12:43, while Katie Crowly made a free throw at 15:11 and added a pair of free throws at 14:35 to account for an 11-0 run as the Fords pulled to within 45-38 with 12:43 left on the game clock.
Braxton made a lay-up to push the Diplomats back in front by nine points, but Meredith Foote drained a three-pointer at 12:02, Lattisaw knocked down a jumper at 10:56 and Crowley added a pair of free-throws at 9:46 to pull the Fords to within 47-45. Braxton converted on a pair of free-throws to push the lead back to four points, but Crowley hit a jumper and a free throw at 8:57 to put Haverford within a point at 49-48.
Franklin & Marshall rallied as guard Dana Johns (Sr., York, PA/Eastern York) made pairs of free-throws to start and finish a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to put the Diplomats ahead 63-48 as F&M coasted to the eight point victory.
Johns finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds, while guard Christy Strunk (Sr., Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) added 13 points and guard Sarah Meisenberg (Fr., Severna Park, MD/Severn School) chipped in eight points, three assists and six rebounds as Franklin & Marshall improves to 15-1 all-time against the Fords.
For Haverford, Crowley made eight-of-18 from the field and 12-of-17 at the free-throw line for 28 points with six rebounds, while Lattisaw added 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Franklin & Marshall College (2-3, 1-1 CC) will continue the season on December 6 at home versus Dickinson College. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.
