The Elizabethtown College women’s basketball team went on the road this past weekend against Haverford College for a non-conference matchup. The Blue Jays headed into their first road contest of the season with a 1-0 record, defeating Rowan University in a narrow home victory 58-55. Etown was up significantly against the Profs, however, a late surge brought the game down to the wire as time was expiring. The Fords had entered the contest 2-0 after defeating Keystone College and Rutgers-Camden heading into the matchup.
The Blue Jays got the game started with an 8-2 run in the opening four minutes, with senior forward Allyia Kennedy and senior guard Makenna Mummert splitting the eight points between the two. The Fords rallied back, going on a 15-3 run to end the first quarter, led by junior forward Audrey Jakway draining two threes as she scored 10 straight for Haverford as they headed into the second quarter with an eight point lead over Etown.
Haverford kept the game with a comfortable lead, with the Blue Jays and the Fords scoring back and forth as the lead stayed around 10 points throughout the majority of the quarter. With around five minutes to go, Etown rallied with a 7-0 run to pull the deficit within five. After a few threes from Etown’s senior guard Ella Gordon and sophomore guard Cadence Anderson, the Blue Jays rallied back. Heading into the halftime break, the Fords held a 41-39 lead over Etown.
After adjustments by both teams, the second half began. Haverford came out of the break with a strong start, nailing back to back triples by senior guard Caroline Orza and senior guard Brianna Feifer. Junior guard Kamryn Mengel answered back for the Blue Jays hitting a three of her own and Kennedy sank two free throws to bring the lead within one. The Fords bounced back, as Feifer hit another three and Jakway drained a midrange jumper, the Blue Jays were back in another eight point deficit. Etown fought for the rest of the quarter, making a few key defensive stops and Mummert attacking the basket. Mummert sank five of her six possible free throws as Etown went into the final quarter of regulation down three.
Etown continued to push forward taking a lead off a Mengel layup with seven minutes to go in regulation, giving the Blue Jays their first lead since 5:04 in the first quarter. This layup sparked an 8-0 run for the Blue Jays as they extended their lead to seven. Haverford battled back and with the two teams separated by three with 11 seconds to go, Orza threw up a circus shot three pointer that hit the bottom of the net, tying the game at 80. The Blue Jays had one last chance with four seconds to go, however, Mengel’s shot was blocked and the game went into overtime.
Etown and Haverford were neck and neck through the first overtime, with the lead only getting as large as three through the five minutes of high octane basketball. Sophomore forward Kiley Wilhelm played a key role in the first overtime, scoring nine points in five minutes to keep the Blue Jays in the contest, including scoring a layup off an offensive rebound with 27 seconds left to tie the game. As the first five minutes expired, the score was 96-96, forcing the game into a second overtime period.
The Blue Jays were able to get the spark they needed early in the second overtime period, as Mummert added another four points on the day, leading the charge on the 6-0 run. Haverford hit a much needed three pointer with around two minutes to go, however, the game was sealed after Anderson hit a deep three to close the door on the Fords. Haverford couldn’t get a solid shot attempt up and had to foul with time expiring on the clock. As the lead stretched to 11 for the Blue Jays, Etown was able to take a well-deserved victory, defeating Haverford 115-104 in double overtime.
Mummert led the Blue Jays with 46 points and five assists, breaking the single game scoring record in Elizabethtown College’s 97 year history. Mummert also achieved the record for the most points in the Landmark Conference’s women’s basketball history. Mengel contributed 15 points and Wilhelm off the bench added 14 points and 12 rebounds to secure a double-double for Etown, the first of her collegiate career. Gordon finished the game with 12 points on 50% shooting. Anderson and Kennedy both contributed 11 points, with Kennedy battling foul trouble early and only playing 20 minutes as she fouled out in the contest.
The Blue Jays will play their next home contest on Dec. 3 versus Drew University in a Landmark Conference matchup.
