HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (4-17, 1-13 CC) suffered a home defeat to Gettysburg (16-5, 12-2 CC) inside Gooding '84 Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The contest also served as Ardmore Hoops Day. The Ardmore Hoops Initiative is a youth program that welcomes children from around the area to Gooding '84 Arena, where they learn basketball skills and drills from Haverford student-athletes.
The program was started by senior guard Gabriel Franklin for the 2023-24 season. The youngsters of Ardmore Hoops had a chance to participate in a five-minute game during half-time of the Fords and Bullets game.
Gettysburg jumped out to a quick and early lead over the Fords, starting out on a 13-3 scoring run. In the scoring stretch, Carl Schaller dropped five points, including a three-pointer.
The Bullets were able to gain the upper hand over the Scarlet and Black out of the timeout, outscoring the hosts 15-11, to take a 28-14 with 4:28 remaining in the first half. Franklin tallied six points the span for the Fords, while Jordan Stafford scored an impressive 11 of the next 15 points for the visitors.
Neither team was able to find consistent offense in the final 4:28 of the half, as Haverford outscored Gettysburg 5-4, to head into the half-time break down 32-19.
At the half, Bullets' guard Jordan Stafford led all scorers with 11 points, while Franklin paced the Scarlet and Black in points with eight.
Gettysburg kept their foot on the pedal to begin the second-half, racing out to a 10-3 scoring run to lead the Fords 42-22 with 15:15 remaining in the ballgame. The Bullets received a big boost in that ten point run from three-pointers by Nate Williams and Schaller. Ali Kaan Bek scored the lone three points for Haverford in the stretch, knocking down a shot from behind the three-point arc.
Out of a much needed timeout called by the Fords, both teams delivered haymakers back-and-forth with Gettysburg edging out Haverford 15-12, pulling to a 57-34 with 6:48 remaining in half number two. Kaan Bek and Zach Perry paced the Fords in the stretch, with three points each, with the latter sinking his third triple of the season.
Out of another Haverford timeout, the Bullets closed out the game with a slight 15-13 scoring advantage to eventually win the matchup 70-46. In the final run, Logan Brown posted four points that included a highlight-worthy slam dunk. The Scarlet and Black also saw scoring contributions from Seth Anderson and Luke Phillips in the final minutes of the contest.
Stafford paced all scorers in the game with 13 points in the victory, while his teammate Schaller put up 12 points. Franklin led the way in scoring for the Fords in the battle, tallying 11 points, while first-year guard Kaan Bek added eight points.
Men's basketball will be back at Gooding '84 Arena for their next matchup, hosting the Mules of Muhlenberg on Tuesday, February 6, at 8 p.m. The men's game will be the second contest of a doubleheader, as the Haverford College women's basketball team squares off with Muhlenberg at 6 p.m.