BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – Meeting for the first time in program history, the Haverford College men's basketball team was edged by Bryn Athyn, 68-66, on the road Saturday. The Fords had the lead with 46 seconds to go when Joe Scibelli got in the lane for a layup.
However, the Lions got to the free throw line on their next offensive possession and connected on both attempts to take a 67-66 lead. The Fords had an attempt from three with 11 seconds before the hosts added their final point of the afternoon at the line and came up with a steal on Haverford's last second desperation.
Saturday's contest saw 16 lead changes and five different occasions where the sides were deadlocked. Despite the loss, the Fords had four of their starters reach double figures. Joe Scibelli finished with a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. The hot start to the sophomore's season has seen him score 20 or more points in four of Haverford's five games. He has finished with a double-double on three of those occasions. Matt Sherman was not far behind with 17 points, while Grayson Roth and Kahlil Garnes each added 11 points. Roth, a freshman, was making his first collegiate start.
Much of the back-and-forth action in the first half came during the first 15 minutes. Scibelli connected on a jumper with 4:51 to play in the opening half to spark a 13-3 run from Haverford to close out the first 20 minutes. That spurt gave the Fords a nine point lead, 35-26, heading into the locker room and was the largest lead for either side the entire afternoon.
Haverford matched its nine point lead in the second half following a three-pointer from Roth. The host Lions cut the Fords' lead down to one point with just over five minutes gone by in the second half. Nevertheless, a 9-2 spurt from Haverford – featuring seven points from Sherman – gave the visitors an eight point lead with 11:34 remaining in regulation.
The Fords maintained their lead all the way up until the 5:51 mark of the second half when a pair of free throws gave Bryn Athyn its first lead since the 6:36 mark of the first half. Four separate times in the final five minutes Haverford reclaimed the lead. However, a persistent Lions team took the lead for good with 34 seconds remaining before denying Haverford's final two offensive trips down the court.
Men's basketball will be back on the road this coming Wednesday when the team travels to Elizabethtown for a 7 p.m. tip. These two teams have not met since the 2004-05 season.