LANCASTER, Pa. – Brett Cohen's 17 points and Lucas Colombo's 16 led Haverford College's men's basketball team Saturday afternoon in its upset bid of host Franklin & Marshall College, but the home-standing Diplomats eked out a 62-56 victory over the visiting Fords in Centennial Conference action at the Mayser Center.
Several times over the final minutes Haverford (6-9, 2-8 CC) pulled within a bucket of the Diplomats (12-5, 8-2) but F&M was able to hold off the hard-charging Fords with free throws down the stretch to record the league win.
Haverford broke in front early in Saturday's match-up, taking a 16-9 lead at the 12:05 mark on a three-pointer from Colombo. The Dips reeled off the next seven points to tie the score before the Fords' Garrett Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to push the visiting team back in front, 19-16.
A 12-5 run by F&M to close out the half allowed the home team to take a 28-24 lead into the halftime break.
The Dips stormed out of the intermission to build an 11-point cushion over the the first five minutes of the half, but this time it was Haverford's turn for a run. A 10-2 streak over 3 minutes and 9 seconds drew the Fords within three, 42-39, with 10:40 to play.
The teams traded baskets the next six possessions but a pair of missed free throws by F&M's Jon Salandra gave the Fords the chance to narrow the gap further. Cohen's layup, off a pass from Colombo, cut the deficit to one, 48-47, with just under five minutes remaining.
That would be as close as it would get over the final minutes although the Fords were a basket away from tying or leading the contest four times over those last ticks of the clock.
In addition to Cohen and Colombo reaching double figures in scoring, Matt Sherman reached the double-digits mark with 10 points on the day. Cohen led the Fords on the glass with six rebounds and got help from Colombo who finished with five rebounds.
Salandra ended up leading the Dips in scoring with a 26-point, 11-rebound effort to record the double-double. Terrel Phelps added 17 points and Cedric Moune pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds to help the Dips register a 36-22 advantage on the glass for the day.
Haverford is back on the road for its next contest, traveling to Collegeville, Pa., on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. conference match-up against host Ursinus College.