HAVERFORD, Pa. – Playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd as students returned for the spring semester, the Haverford College men's basketball team put forth a spirited effort before Rutgers-Camden came away with a 69-62 victory on Monday night. The game was the Fords' fourth contest in seven days.
On a night where the athletic department hosted its Senior Student-Athlete Varsity Blanket Ceremony, it was senior Matt Sherman who led the way with 19 points. However, he was far from a one-man show as Kahlil Garnes finished with 17 points, including a 6-for-6 night at the free throw line, while Jonathan Lang added 14 points as the Fords started four freshmen for the first time all season. The visiting Raptors also put three players in double figures with Isaac Destin's 24 points leading the way.
Rutgers-Camden held the lead for much of the first half after the teams traded baskets to start the contest. The Raptors' lead grew to as many as eight points in the opening half, but Haverford would not go away easily.
Playing a one possession game for a majority of the final 10 minutes before the break, Haverford tied the score at 27-all when Sherman got into the paint for a layup as he finished the first half with nine points. However, the Raptors got a layup of their own on the following possession to take a 29-27 lead into the locker room.
The Fords took their first lead since the opening minutes when Sherman knocked down a triple to start the second half. Haverford held that lead for nearly seven minutes before a three-pointer from Rutgers-Camden began a wild finish that saw eight lead changes over the course of the second half. The Fords retook the lead on the following possession with a layup from Lang. That was answered by the visitors, but a pair of free throws from Garnes set the score at 43-42 with 12:09 to play.
The back-and-forth contest continued with Rutgers-Camden providing its answer at the free throw line. Undeterred, Joe Hartman grabbed an offensive rebound on the next possession and put that back for two more points. Up 45-44 with 11:50 to play after Hartman's work in the paint, that lead held for three minutes before the Raptors clawed back in front with 8:13 to play and the score set at 49-48.
Despite several chances to tie or take the lead down the stretch, the Raptors never relinquished that lead despite the Fords' best efforts. Haverford had the lead down to four points with under a minute to play, but the visitors made five of their final six free throws to hold off Haverford's late rally.
Haverford put together a very strong defensive showing as it limited Rutgers-Camden to just 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Fords also swatted away five of the Raptors' shots as both Sam Stogdon and Hartman had two denials on the evening. Both players also had two steals while Hartman tied Jack Cork with a team-high seven rebounds.
The Fords will continue their busy stretch with the team's fifth game in nine days this Wednesday at Swarthmore. That Hood Trophy battled is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip with the women getting underway at 6 p.m.