HAVERFORD, Pa. – In a must win game for the Haverford College men's basketball team Wednesday night, the Fords' defense starred in a 64-50 Centennial Conference victory over Muhlenberg College holding the Mules to 15 points below their season scoring average.
Haverford (10-13, 8-9 CC) led by eight at the half then twice pushed the lead to as many as 17 in second half action before settling on a 14-point winning margin.
The Fords' defense held Muhlenberg (12-12, 10-7 CC) to just 31 percent (18-of-58) from the floor and held all but Spencer Liddic, who tallied 16 points in the loss, to seven points or less.
The Fords had three players reach double-digits offensively led by Cam Baker's 17. Sam Permutt added 15 and Bo Friddell posted 12 more into the score book in a game which saw Haverford shoot 45 percent (23-of-51) from the field.
First half action was back and forth with three lead changes and two tie scores until the Fords pulled away from a 22-22 tie over the final four minutes capped by an airborne, acrobatic rebound and underhanded put back from senior Matt Palmer that beat the buzzer by a fraction of a second and sent Haverford into the locker room with a 30-22 lead.
Palmer, along with fellow seniors Doug Edelman and Michael Gabriel — each enjoying career bests in their final seasons with the Fords — were honored in a pre-game ceremony with their parents. Palmer finished the night with seven points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals (which moves him into the program's top-10 in career steals); Edelman scored three points, pulled down two rebounds and had one block; and Gabriel scored the game's final basket.
Coming into Wednesday night's game, the Fords clung to slim hopes to play their way into the postseason league tournament. They needed wins over Muhlenberg then at Swarthmore Saturday afternoon, working halfway to their goal with the win over the Mules.
Unfortunately the help they needed from other teams didn't pan out as Washington defeated Ursinus in a mild upset in other Wednesday action locking up the fifth and final playoff spot and ending Haverford's postseason dreams.
The Fords will try to end their season on a winning note against Swarthmore in Saturday's season finale, a victory that would close out the later portion of the 2009-10 schedule with a 7-3 mark should Haverford complete the season sweep of the Garnet.