HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team showed great fight in Saturday's contest against No. 14 Franklin & Marshall, outscoring the Diplomats 37-36 over the final 20 minutes. However, F&M showed its national prowess in the first half and came away with an 82-66 road win inside the Gooding '84 Arena.
Four of Haverford's starting five recorded seven or more points in the second half against the nationally-ranked Diplomats. Gibby Graves finished the game with a team-high 18 points, while also dishing out nine assists. Lucas Colombo added another near double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. James Levine scored 15 points on the afternoon, giving Haverford three players in double figures. Four of the Diplomats' starting five finished in double figures for the game. Devin Figueroa exploded on 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc to lead his team with 25 points, while the Centennial Conference's leading scorer, Brandon Federici, added 22 more points.
Right out of the gates, Franklin & Marshall showcased its skill that has been keeping the Diplomats in the national rankings during recent weeks. The Diplomats' lead reached its peak with 5:07 left to play in the opening half during a 23-point advantage, 40-17. That lead would be matched on two other occasions. Despite the early deficit, Haverford kept its focus and was rewarded with seven of the last eight points of the half as F&M took a 46-29 lead into its locker room.
The second half was a game of runs as every time Haverford looked as though it may be able to get the deficit under 10 points, Franklin & Marshall did just enough to thwart that potential bid. Twice in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, Haverford had separate runs in which it trailed by 13 points and 14 points in a span of four minutes. Nevertheless, F&M stopped the Fords and got its lead back up to 20 points on both occasions.
Haverford answered its second 20-point deficit of the second half with a 9-0 run, making the score 65-54 with 8:17 to play. The Fords scored on each of their four offensive possessions during that span and each time the scoring touch was orchestrated by a different player. Colombo got the rally started with a three-pointer. Matt Sherman drew contact on the next trip and hit both free throws, while Graves got the basket to go in the lane on the next trip. Justin Winkler added the final touches to that run with a jumper.
With 5:13 remaining in the contest, Haverford found itself still lurking with a 72-59 score. However, Franklin & Marshall used a 7-0 run of its own to build its lead up to 20 for the third time in the half before settling for the 82-66 final.
The Fords posted their third-highest shooting percentage from the field on the season as they were 24-of-46 (52%) shooting the ball, including a 5-of-11 mark from beyond the arc. However, Franklin & Marshall was slightly better as it made 31-of-56 (55%) shots from the field, including 36 points from three-point land.
Men's basketball will be back in action inside the Gooding '84 Arena this coming Tuesday for a scheduled 8 p.m. tip with Ursinus. That contest will be preceded by the women's game against Ursinus that will get underway at 6 p.m.