In a battle for first place in the Centennial Conference, the Muhlenberg women's basketball team came from way back to have a chance to win on its final possession, but Haverford held on for a 57-55 win.

With the win, the Fords (16-6, 13-4) moved into sole possession of first place in the CC with a week-and-a-half left in the regular season. The Mules (15-7, 12-5) dropped into a virtual three-way tie for second with Dickinson (12-5) and Gettysburg (11-5).

Muhlenberg was cold from the field at the start, missing its first 15 field-goal tries while Haverford started 7-of-8 to take a 17-2 lead. The Fords match their biggest lead, 18 points, at 44-26 with 4:30 left in the third before the Mules began clawing back.

A three-pointer by junior Brandi Vallely and a steal and layup by junior Rachel Plotke in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter capped a 15-0 run to pull Muhlenberg to within three. Haverford extended its margin to nine in the fourth quarter, but a steal and layup by sophomore Sara Dilly made it 56-53 with 2:14 left.

The score remained that way going into the final minute. After a blocked shot by senior Maggie Zerbe (pictured above), sophomore Ashley Polera forced a held ball to get a defensive rebound with 28.7 seconds left. The Mules missed a pair of shots at their end, and with 12.5 ticks on the clock the Fords hit a free throw to make it 57-53.

Vallely drove in for a layup with 7.4 seconds left, and the Fords threw away the ensuing inbounds pass. But Muhlenberg could not get a clean look at the basket on its final possession, and Haverford escaped with the win.

Sophomore Carley Hamilton led the Mules with 11 points and pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds. Vallely finished with 10 points and seven assists without a turnover.

Muhlenberg shot just 29 percent for the game but recorded 24 offensive rebounds. The Mules also turned the ball over only five times - just once in the second half - while forcing 17 Haverford turnovers.