HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (7-14, 5-9 CC) came up just short to No. 9 Johns Hopkins (18-3, 12-2 CC) Saturday at Gooding Arena, logging a spirited upset bid in front of a charged home crowd. In a game that featured eight ties and six lead changes, Haverford fell by just three points, 59-56, putting a scare into the visiting Blue Jays with a strong effort in the closing moments.
Nate Torres was a force on Saturday, as he added a game-best 24 points, matching a career-best total. Ryan Trotter also scored in double figures, logging 10 points, while Haverford made the most of its opportunities from the field, outshooting the Blue Jays 41.5 percent to 34 percent and connecting on five-of-nine from beyond the arc.
The visitors came out strong, looking like one of the top teams in the nation from the opening jump as Tom Quarry and Carson James connected on back-to-back threes in the early goings, with the James trey coming off a Quarry assist for an 8-4 Johns Hopkins lead. The Fords battled back with a 4-0 spurt to tie the score at 8-8, and the two teams traded buckets and quick runs from that point.
Nicholas Stewart gave Haverford the 15-14 lead with 9:45 left in the first half, but the Blue Jays then unleashed a big 14-0 run to take a commanding 28-15 lead with 5:29 to play. The Fords had an answer, turning the intensity up a notch with a 10-0 run of their own, culminating with a three from Jackson Ryan, as suddenly the contest was back within three points. Perhaps equally important, the Gooding Arena crowd was also right back in the game with 2:31 remaining in the first.
The visitors closed the half on a 5-0 run, taking an eight-point cushion into the intermission. The Hopkins run later grew to 9-2 as the Blue Jays staked a 10-point lead with 18 minutes left in the second. The game of runs continued, with Torres connecting from deep and later adding a pair from the charity stripe, helping to kickstart a 10-0 Haverford spurt as Brandon Banadda lit up the crowd with a triple that tied things at 37-37 with 13:43 to go.
A strong paint presence from JHU helped prevent the Fords from turning the contest on its side, but Stewart did well to put Haverford back within one with 11:59 to play, and Torres gave the Fords a 42-40 lead with his trifecta at 10:08.
The two sides traded salvos from that point, with some methodical possessions and full-court presses helping to raise the intensity level as the crowd was fully engaged with designs on witnessing a huge upset. A crafty jumper from Harry Johnson gave the Fords a 46-44 edge with less than eight to play, and despite a triple from John Windley, Haverford was back within just one with five minutes to play as the teams headed for a timeout.
The last five minutes proved to be some of the most exciting moments of basketball in the recent memory of Gooding Arena, as the teams could not gain any separation from each other. Johnson put Haverford back within one at 51-50 with 3:07 to go, but a three-point play from Windley quickly restored a four-point Hopkins cushion. Undaunted, Haverford was able to claw back yet again, using a jumper from Trotter to get back within two with 2:49 to play. After Will Sykes made one of two from the charity stripe, Trotter again provided heroics, putting Haverford within one with 34 seconds to play.
Hopkins did well to set itself up with Jayden Nixon drilling free-throws when it counted, but Haverford had the ball with 16 seconds to play, down by three at 57-54. The visitors wisely fouled, sending Trotter to the line where he again put the Fords within one at 57-56.
With no choice but to play the foul game, the Fords sent Quarry to the line, as the graduate student calmly made both of his shots to set up a game-tying scenario for the Fords on the final possession. The half-court heave was off line as the visitors escaped by the narrowest of margins.
Johns Hopkins held a slight 36-30 edge in rebounding, but Haverford did well to limit turnovers, forcing 12 while committing 11. Haverford excelled in the paint, forcing the Jays onto the perimeter, and swarming defensive pressure from both teams kept the rhythm of the contest at an intentional pace, with plenty of set plays and designed press breaks as both teams manuvered in a chess-like fashion down the stretch.
Windley paced the visitors with 16 points, as Quarry added 10. Lincoln Yeutter (nine points, two steals) and Jayden Nixon (five points, game-best seven rebounds) each had solid games off the bench for JHU.
The contest was part of Haverford's Play with Pride Day, celebrating the spirit of the LGBTQ+ community and promoting advocacy for and by LGBTQ+ community members. Haverford now heads out on the road with a crucial matchup on deck at Muhlenberg on Tuesday (8 p.m.). The contest is close to a "must win" as the Fords continue the fight to qualify for the Centennial Conference playoffs as the regular season enters its final two weeks.