HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's basketball team was locked in a close battle at Haverford throughout the first three quarters of Saturday's Centennial Conference matchup. However, the Fords pulled away on the strength of a 28-10 fourth quarter which handed them an eventual 66-45 victory over the Diplomats.

F&M started the contest in a tight battle as neither side had a significant advantage. Three free throws by Kenna Williams and a Jaclyn Feit layup gave the Diplomats their first lead of the contest at 13-10. However, that advantage was short lived as the Fords took a 14-13 lead into the second quarter. The two teams were tied at 17-all midway through that period, but Haverford's first large run of the contest gave the home team a 27-21 advantage at the break.

The Diplomats came out strong from the locker room and closed the gap to a single point following a pair of free throws from Ally Trebelev made the score 29-28 just over a minute into the second half. The game remained a one possession battle throughout much of the quarter despite the Diplomats never being able to get the score back to level. A late trey for the Fords eventually made it a 38-35 score heading into the final 10 minutes. Unfortunately, that three-pointer was a sign of things to come as the Fords shot nearly 70 percent during the final quarter to run away with the win.

Franklin & Marshall outshot the Fords during the first three quarters, but that advantage swung in Haverford's favor during the final period. The Diplomats held the Fords to under 30 percent shooting during the first three quarters before Haverford found its rhythm. Haverford was also able take advantage of the possession battle with a 31-7 advantage in points off of those turnovers.

Kenna Williams led the Diplomats with another double-double as she scored 17 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. She was one of two Diplomats in double figures as Kennedy Wilburn added 13 points on the afternoon.

Women's basketball will be back on the road this coming Thursday when the team heads to Ursinus for a 6 p.m. tip. F&M won its first matchup with the Bears by a 54-45 score back in November.