HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team hosted its home finale on Wednesday evening against Ursinus. Playing its second contest in as many days, the Fords were downed by the Bears in a 95-66 final.
Walt Plumlee led Haverford with 20 points off of the bench. Wednesday's contest marked the fourth 20 point outing on the season for the sharp-shooting sophomore. Plumlee last reached the 20 point plateau during the December 12 victory against Summit. Joe Scibelli just missed that mark with 19 points. The Fords' freshman has now scored 10 or more points in four straight games and nine of the last 10 overall.
The visiting Bears were led by a pair of 20 point performances from Malik Draper and Matt Williams. Joe LoStracco also finished with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. Ursinus shot 55.7% on the night, including a 42.1% mark from beyond the arc. Haverford matched Ursinus with 19 points at the free throw line in three fewer attempts.
Ursinus started the game quickly with the first seven points. The early lead was cut to a single basket after Scibelli knocked down a three-pointer. The Bears then went out in front 17-7 before Plumlee got hot and reeled off eight straight Haverford points by himself to bring his side back within four points.
Haverford was maintaining its striking distance as the team trailed by just six points, 28-22, with 8:25 to play in the half. After Plumlee connected on another of his four three-pointers during the contest, it was Ursinus that took control of the game with 23 of the final 29 points during the opening stanza. The Bears ultimately carried a 51-28 advantage into the locker room.
That momentum rolled right into the second half as the Bears scored nine of the first 11 points in the final 20 minutes. Haverford did outscore the Bears by a 25-15 margin in the final nine minutes of regulation. However, it was too little, too late in the 95-66 final score.
Men's basketball will close out its season this Saturday with a trip to Swarthmore. The women's game is scheduled to tip at 12:30 p.m. The men's game is scheduled to follow at 3 p.m.