SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Cam Baker and three other Fords scored in double-figures during the Haverford College men's basketball team's 74-52 win over host Swarthmore College Wednesday night in Centennial Conference action at Tarble Pavilion.
Baker led Haverford (9-6, 6-3 CC) with 18 points in the win while Jay Kober registered a 15 point night for the Garnet (5-11, 2-7) in a losing effort.
The Fords scored the opening bucket but Swarthmore's Jordan Federer nailed a three-pointer to give the home team its first lead of the game. Swarthmore led again at 6-5, then once more at 8-7 before a layup from Brett Cohen put Haverford in front for good.
The Fords led by as many as 18 points during the opening stanza and eventually took a 14-point lead into the intermission.
The lead doubled to 28 with 4:26 left in the second half before settling on the game's final 22-point margin of victory.
While the turnover edge was only 12-15 in favor of Haverford, the Fords turned more of those opportunities into points, out scoring the Garnet by a 21-8 margin off the miscues. The visiting team also ruled the area under the bucket scoring 36 points in the paint while limiting Swarthmore to just 16 from close range. Haverford owned a decided advantage in rebounding as well, finishing with 11 more than the home team.
Also reaching double-digits in scoring for the Fords were Ian Goldberg with 15, Bo Friddell with 14, and Brett Cohen, whose 12 point and game-high 11 rebound night allowed the freshman to notch his first collegiate double-double.
The Fords have won the past eight meetings between the two schools. Wednesday night's victory, coupled with the women's team's win earlier in the night and fall sport results, pushed the Hood Trophy standings in the friendly Haverford-Swarthmore rivalry for the award to a mid-year score of 6-1 in favor of the Fords.
Haverford's win sets up a showdown with its next opponent, Gettysburg College, Saturday afternoon on the Bullets' home court. The two are among three teams knotted in second place at 6-3 within the conference standings after Gettysburg fell in overtime to McDaniel College, also 6-3 in league play, Wednesday night.