HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (5-10, 3-5 CC) secured a second consecutive home win against Dickinson (3-12, 1-7 CC) on Saturday afternoon inside Gooding Arena, taking a tight 60-53 win over the Red Devils thanks in part to a huge performance from senior Nate Torres, who poured in 21 points and added nine rebounds, proving to be a force in the paint that frustrated the Dickinson defense.
The contest featured 10 lead changes and four ties, while Dickinson was within one with 2:40 to play in regulation before Haverford sealed things down the stretch. Jackson Ryan also added a double-double effort, with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Ryan Trotter collected nine boards. Harry Johnson was again a force off the bench, registering 14 points and six rebounds in a well-rounded effort.
Haverford fell behind 6-2 early, with Dickinson proving to be aggressive in the early goings. The Fords got back in a rhythm, regrouping behind a Torres triple and a three-point play from Ryan to take an 8-6 lead with 13:30 remaining in the first. The two sides traded leads from that point, with Haverford taking a 21-13 lead with an 11-0 run, as layups from Brandon Banadda and Trotter came ahead of a triple from Ryan and a layup from Harry Johnson.
Anthony Goeb connected from distance to put the visitors back within two with 2:44 to play, and Isaiah Edmond tied the game with his runner that came with 2:18 to play. Haverford finished the half on a 4-0 run to take a slim 30-26 lead into the intermission.
The two sides then traded jabs to start the second period, with Torres giving the Fords a three-point lead with 13:08 remaining as the teams struggled to find consistent looks. Goeb put his squad back within one with 12:45 to go, and Dickinson regained the lead for the first time since early in the contest with a Randy Shepard jumper with 11:59 left. A 5-0 spurt restored the Haverford advantage, and that sustained run eventually reached 11-2 as Harry Johnson converted in the paint with 5:56 remaining.
A pair of clutch three-pointers from Brandon Wiercinski put the Red Devils right back into the contest, with the second coming with just 3:28 remaining, trimming the Haverford lead back down to just two. Martin Mann hit one of two from the charity stripe on the next Dickinson possession, and suddenly the Red Devils had to like their chances down by just one with 2:40 remaining.
From that point, Haverford stepped up the intensity with Johnson and Torres each taking over offensively to set the tone down low. Torres put Haverford up by six with under a minute remaining, and forced to foul, Dickinson had to play catch-up at the line. The effort to get back into the contest proved to fall short, as Shepard cut the lead to just three with 14 seconds left before big buckets from Trotter and Torres at the line sent Haverford to the victory.
Haverford enjoyed a 43-36 rebounding advantage, and outshot the Red Devils slightly, 37.7 percent to 36.2 percent. Each team struggled from the perimeter, with just seven made threes on 39 attempts between the two teams. The Fords did well to enforce in the paint, with 38 of its 60 coming in the painted area.
The Fords now return to action on Wednesday, January 18, taking on Muhlenberg at home inside Gooding '84 Arena. The contest will conclude the three-game homestand and features Haverford's annual Senior Varsity Blanket Ceremony at halftime.