LYCOMING, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 73-66 victory against Penn State Schuylkill on Saturday. The Fords (1-2) led for over 32 of the contest's 40 minutes and held a lead as large as 18 points during the convincing victory.
Joe Scibelli continued his strong play and led his team in scoring for the third straight contest. Scibelli scored 23 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. He was named Haverford's representative on the all-tournament team at the conclusion of today's game. Kyle Goldfarb scored a career-high 17 points in the win while Matt Sherman finished with 10 points, putting three Fords in double figures. The Lions had two players who finished with double figures as Derek Dimond led his side with 16 points.
Jumping right on the Lions from the opening whistle, the Fords scored first on a layup from Sam Stogdon as part of a 14-3 run to open the game. Working down low was crucial as Haverford's first 14 points all came in the paint. Balance was also critical as four different players scored during that stretch to open play. Haverford ultimately finished the game with a 50-24 advantage in points in the paint.
The Lions responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the game just nine minutes into the contest. Penn State Schuylkill used that momentum to run its lead up to eight points, 26-18, with 7:26 remaining before the break. Nevertheless, during a first half filled with big runs it was the Fords who had the final say.
Haverford scored 11 straight and 17 of the final 19 points in the half to reclaim a lead it would not relinquish. The Fords took the lead for good when Jonathan Lang hit a three-pointer to make the score 29-26 with 4:30 to play. Haverford eventually took a 35-28 lead into the locker room with four more points in the paint from Scibelli closing the first half scoring.
The Fords got their lead back above 10 points just 1:29 into the second half with more scoring in the paint from Scibelli. After a Lions' basket, Sherman worked the fast break to perfection and put his team up 11 with 17:40 to play. The Fords stayed at least 10 points ahead from that point until there was 5:57 left in regulation. Haverford's largest lead of the afternoon was 18 points, which came with 13:25 to play and the score set at 52-34.
The Lions got the game down to a single possession on just one occasion in the final five minutes. However, Scibelli went to the paint one more time to answer a three-pointer from the Lions that put his team up 69-64. Haverford then went on to make all four of its free throws in the final minute to seal the 73-66 win.
Men's basketball is now set to open both the home and Centennial Conference schedule this Tuesday when Ursinus visits the Gooding '84 Arena. The home opener is set for an 8 p.m. tip and will be preceded by the Ursinus women playing Haverford at 6 p.m.