HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team got a game-high 20 points from Matt Sherman, but it was not enough to overcome a balanced attack from Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon inside the Gooding '84 Arena. The Diplomats, a team receiving votes in the latest national poll, fought off a furious second half comeback from the Fords and eventually came away with a 70-63 road win.
Haverford outscored Franklin & Marshall from the field, but a 19-9 advantage in points at the free throw line pushed the Diplomats to victory. In addition to Sherman, the Fords got 17 points from Joe Scibelli and 14 from Jonathan Lang. The Diplomats had five different players score at least seven points with Hunter Eggers' 16 leading his side.
In a very evenly played start to the contest, the Fords and Diplomats traded the lead seven times in the opening 11-plus minutes. Franklin & Marshall held the largest advantage of that time frame with a six point edge, 11-5. Nevertheless, the duo of Scibelli and Sherman scored eight of Haverford's 10 points during a 10-3 run to reclaim the lead, 15-14, with 11:28 remaining in the opening period.
A jumper from Kahlil Garnes gave Haverford its first lead of the contest since Sherman hit a three-pointer on Haverford's first offensive possession. A lay up from Sam Stogdon with 9:44 remaining in the half gave Haverford a 17-16 edge, but the Diplomats held Haverford without a basket for nearly five minutes as their own advantage reached 17 points. The Fords got some of those points back before the break but it was Franklin & Marshall leading by 12, 41-29, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
Franklin & Marshall matched its largest lead of the game on two separate occasions during the second half. Despite Haverford's persistence chipping away at the lead, the Diplomats were still ahead by 12 points, 56-44, with 9:44 remaining in regulation.
Haverford really started to cut into the lead with a lockdown defensive effort down the stretch. Holding the potent Franklin & Marshall offense without a point for nearly five minutes, the Fords had their deficit down to seven points, 56-49, with 5:44 to play.
The Fords got the closest they would come in the second half when Lang hit a three-pointer just ahead of the shot clock and converted a lay up following a steal from Stogdon to make it a six point game with 1:55 to play. However, a 6-for-10 stretch at the line in the final minutes for the Diplomats sealed the 70-63 win.
Men's basketball will be back at home this Wednesday against Muhlenberg. That game is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m., but will be preceded by the women's tip against the Mules at 6 p.m. Haverford will close out the fall semester with a trip to Washington College next Saturday.