HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (4-8, 1-4 CC) returned to Centennial Conference action on Saturday inside Gooding '84 Arena, enduring a heartbreaker against visiting Dickinson (5-7, 2-3 CC) with the Red Devils escaping by a final score of 51-50 in a contest that featured 22 lead changes and 14 ties.
Both teams looked sharp out of the gates in a fast-paced opening. Haverford gained a 5-0 advantage behind a three-pointer from Gaven Marr and a bucket from Nick Klaiber. Back-to-back triples from Gabriel Franklin and Zach Perry extended the lead to 12-6 before a 6-0 Dickinson spurt leveled the score at 12-12 with 9:14 to play in the opening half. An emphatic dunk from Nate Ogbu off a crafty Aaron Bailey pass gave the visitors an 18-14 lead with 3:49 remaining before the intermission.
A Matt Mahoney jumper with 2:22 left put Dickinson up by six. However, Franklin and Brandon Banadda connected in succession to narrow the gap, and the Fords were down by just one at the break. Klaiber and Franklin opened the second half with three-pointers, putting Haverford back ahead by three at 27-24. Nevertheless, a 7-0 Dickinson run quickly gave the Red Devils a more comfortable position, with Isaiah Edmond completing a three-point play with 14:29 remaining.
Dickinson led by seven with 11:28 to go, but five consecutive points from Nicholas Stewart helped the Fords stay right in the game. A Logan Brown layup with 8:46 left brought Haverford within one at 38-37, before Marr put the Fords back ahead at 39-38 with just under eight minutes to play.
Both teams traded salvos down the stretch, with the lead hovering within a single possession for the remainder of the contest. A Brown putback gave the Fords a one-point lead at 44-43, but Edmond quickly converted to reverse the lead for his squad. Quality trips to the charity stripe from Marr and Brown put the Fords up by three at 48-45 with under three minutes to play. However, the Red Devils answered from the free-throw line, and the game was tied at 48-48 with 90 seconds to play.
A Franklin jumper lit up the crowd with the Fords back in the lead at 50-49 with just over a minute to go. Still, Edmond put his side back ahead with a three-point play, connecting on a contested layup and heading to the free-throw line after the hoop and the harm.
Edmond calmly connected, and after a Klaiber miss on the other end, Dickinson had a fresh shot clock. Ogbu missed a jumper, with Stewart grabbing the rebound, but Haverford's last-ditch triple from Franklin missed the mark, allowing the Red Devils to escape Gooding Arena by the narrowest of margins.
Franklin had a game-best 17 points to lead the Fords, while a trio of first-year players—Brown (eight points), Klaiber (seven points), and Marr (seven points)—made a significant impact on the final box score.
For the Red Devils, Nate Ogbu had a double-double effort to lead his squad with 12 points and 12 rebounds. He also added three assists and a steal. The leading scorer for Dickinson was Isaiah Edmond, who poured in 16 points.
Haverford outshot the Red Devils (40.5 percent to 33.3 percent), but Dickinson held a 36-30 rebounding advantage and committed just 12 turnovers.
The Fords have no time to dwell on the result, as another significant conference opportunity awaits on the road Tuesday, January 9, as Haverford heads to Gettysburg for an 8 p.m. tip off. The contest will follow the Haverford women going toe-to-toe with the Bullets inside Bream Gym.