MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team nearly erased a 17 point second half deficit, but ultimately came up just shy in a 62-56 defeat at the hands of Penn State Harrisburg in the season opener. The Fords (0-1) had the game at a single possession difference with less than a minute to play, but the Lions eventually clinched the game at the free throw line.
Joe Scibelli scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to help fuel Haverford's comeback. Scibelli, the reigning Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year, got his 20 points as part of a huge double-double as he also pulled down 15 rebounds. Team captain Matt Sherman added 14 points to Haverford's efforts, while Kahlil Garnes finished just shy of double figures with nine points. Jazmon Harris led a trio of Lions who scored 10-plus points with his 17 points on the evening.
Two big runs from the Lions were ultimately what put the hosts in front by enough to hold on for victory. The two sides battled back-and-forth in the opening half and saw the score tied on five different occasions. Haverford held a brief lead at 13-12 midway through the opening half as Sherman hit a pair of free throws.
Tuesday night's opener was tied on two occasions following Haverford's lead. With the Lions leading 19-17 following a pair of free throws from Garnes, Penn State Harrisburg scored nine of the next 11 points to take a nine point lead. A jumper from Sherman cut that deficit to seven, 28-21, as the team's headed to the locker rooms.
Haverford come out of the break on a mission and cut the Lions' lead to three points with 10 of the first 16 points in the half. A slam dunk from Sam Stogdon put an exclamation point on that run to make the game a one possession difference. However, just when it looked as though Haverford was poised to take control of the contest, the hosts ran off 15 straight points in a span of 5:28 to make the score 48-31.
The Fords slowly chipped away at the lead, but the Lions were still maintaining a nine point edge, 57-48, with under three minutes to play. Haverford stayed alive as back-to-back layups from Sherman and Kyle Goldfarb, plus a three-pointer from Scibelli, set the score at 57-55 with 1:29 left in regulation.
Each side added a point at the free throw line during its next offensive possession. The Fords looked to have a stop with 15 seconds left in the game which would have given them a chance to tie. However, the Lions drew contact on the shot from beyond the arc and went on to add three more free throws in their final five attempts at the charity stripe.
Men's basketball will be back on the road this weekend as the team travels to the Lycoming Tournament. Up first will be another 8 p.m. tip on Friday night as the Fords battle Western Connecticut State.