Senior Blanket Ceremony Photo Gallery
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team (5-13, 2-4 CC) suffered a narrow Centennial Conference defeat to Muhlenberg (8-10, 1-5 CC) by a score of 69-65 inside Gooding '84 Arena on Wednesday evening. Prior to the game, the GIAC lobby held a celebration for Chesick Scholar-Athletes, followed by the annual Senior Varsity Blanket ceremony at halftime.
The first five minutes of the contest saw a slow start, as both teams combined for just 10 points, with the visitors clinging to a small 6-4 lead. Over the next few minutes, the offense picked up for both teams, and Muhlenberg began to pull out to a 21-15 lead at the 9:21 mark of the first half. During this stretch, four different scorers found the net, with Giovanni Rubino contributing five of the 15 points. Haverford also saw five different scoring contributors, including Logan Brown, who converted a momentous and-one bucket.
The Mules started to find their rhythm as the first half carried on, going on a 10-4 scoring run to take a 31-19 lead, forcing a timeout from the Scarlet and Black with 5:47 remaining in the half. During the run, the visitors gained an offensive boost from Luke Gordos and Elias Sherman-Murphy, who each scored four points.
Haverford, however, would get the raucous Gooding '84 Arena crowd to their feet, closing out the half on a 10-2 run to trail just 33-29 at the halftime break. Christian Uremovich and Gaven Marr both scored four points in the momentum-swinging run, with the latter entertaining the packed house with a slam dunk.
At the half, Gordos led all scorers with 10 points, while Adam Strong-Jacobson paced the Fords with eight points and five rebounds. The first half became a battle in the paint for both teams, as neither team connected on a three-pointer. However, it was Muhlenberg's impressive 50 percent field goal percentage that kept the visitors in the lead.
Haverford came out strong to begin the second half, quickly evening the score at 33-33, as Strong-Jacobson and Alex George both scored inside the paint. The next five and a half minutes saw three lead changes before the Fords grabbed a small four-point lead. However, the Mules tied the game at 44-44 with 13:49 left in the contest. Derin Ongur led the charge for the hosts, burying two triples during the stretch, while Muhlenberg saw Gavin D'Iorio and Sherman-Murphy connect on three-pointers, helping the visitors eventually tie the game.
The teams then went basket-for-basket in the next five minutes, with the Mules taking a 51-50 lead with 8:41 to go. The visitors eventually regained the lead after a clutch three-point play by Gordos and another key three-pointer by D'Iorio. The six points for Haverford came from three different scorers, as Brown and Seth Anderson each knocked down two free throws, and Harry Johnson added a jump shot inside the paint.
A 10-9 Muhlenberg run then unfolded over the next five minutes, as solid team play saw five different Mules contribute points, pushing the visitors' advantage to 61-59 with just 3:26 left on the clock.
After Rubino made it a 63-59 game, late-game hero Sherman-Murphy converted two tough layups to extend the Muhlenberg lead to 67-61 with only 1:14 to go. A Marr layup and two significant free throws from Brown cut the visitors' lead to 67-65, but Sherman-Murphy sealed the 69-65 victory with two late free throws on the other end.
The Mules finished the game with three players reaching double figures: Gordos scored 15, Rubino put up 12, and Sherman-Murphy's game-high 19 points came off the bench. For Haverford, Brown and Strong-Jacobson each scored 12 points, with the latter finishing the contest with a double-double (10 rebounds) in the defeat.
Muhlenberg's 48 percent field goal percentage and 75 percent free throw percentage proved key, while Haverford struggled, shooting just 35 percent from the field on Wednesday night.
Men's basketball will return to action on Saturday, February 1, when the Fords travel to Baltimore, Md., to take on the Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins in a Centennial Conference clash at 3 p.m.
