HAVERFORD, Pa. – Cam Baker's 26 points and Sam Permutt's 15 rebounds couldn't keep the Haverford College men's basketball team in front of visiting Cabrini College in the Cavaliers' 84-75 win over the Fords in the season-opener for each Tuesday night in Gooding Arena.
Haverford (0-1) broke out in front of Cabrini (1-0) with the opening basket -- a jumper by Baker -- and held the lead over the entire opening 20 minutes taking a 35-34 lead into the intermission.
The Cavaliers had finished the opening period with a 6-0 closing run, though, to erase what had been a seven point advantage with 2:04 to play.
The second half opened where Cabrini had left off before the break, as the Cavaliers reeled off six more unanswered in only 65 seconds to break out in front 40-35. By the time the visitor's 21-3 run was over they held a 49-38 lead digging the Fords into a big hole.
By the midpoint of the second half Haverford had battled back to within six but Cabrini stretched it to 10 and kept the Fords at a distance until the final minute when Ian Goldberg's fifth three-pointer of the night pulled Haverford to within five.
That would be as close as the late rally would take the Fords as Cabrini scored the final four points for the final nine-point margin.
Baker's 26 points and Permutt's 15 boards were both game-highs, as was Goldberg's five three-point field goals. Cabrini was led by John Boyd's 21 points, one of four Cavaliers to finish in double-figures.
Given the final margin, most of the game stats were surprisingly even as both shot an identical 48 percent (exactly 32-for-66 by each) from the floor and 39 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Haverford out rebounded Cabrini by a 40-29 margin but the visitors made 15 trips to the free throw line hitting 13 of their attempts compared to a 2-for-6 night from the foul line by the Fords. The Cavaliers also got 25 points off turnovers in the win.
Haverford will try to get a mark in the win column with its next outing, Friday night's Equinox Classic game against Washington & Lee University on the Gooding Arena court at approximately 8 p.m. The Fords' outing will follow the Swarthmore College and Clark University match-up at 6 p.m.
Saturday afternoon at Swarthmore the two Philadelphia schools switch out-of-town opponents on the Garnet's home floor to close out the Classic.