ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (8-7, 4-4 CC) went on the road and came away with a key Centennial Conference victory over host Muhlenberg (5-9, 2-4 CC) on Wednesday night, prevailing by a final score of 68-62. The Fords built a 19-point lead into the second half, fending off a valiant comeback bid from the hosts to pull away down the stretch. The victory helps preserve Haverford's standing in the thick of the playoff picture heading into the final month of the regular season.
The Fords had four scorers in double figures, paced by a 20-point performance from Harry Johnson. Johnson also added seven rebounds and two blocks to his impressive points tally, matching his career high for the third time this season. Jackson Ryan (11 points), Gabriel Franklin (10 points), and Josh Love (10 points) also reached double digits in scoring in the contest.
Muhlenberg opened the contest on a 9-2 run, forcing the Fords to claw back early. Haverford was up to the task, with Johnson helping to pace the offense in the early goings as jumpers from Jackson Ryan and Ryan Trotter gave Haverford the first lead of the contest, 11-10, with just under 15 minutes to go.
An 8-0 Haverford run put the Fords up 18-13 with 11:05 to play, and Ryan again connected from distance to give the Fords a 21-15 cushion with just over 10 minutes in the half. The lead hit 10 as Ryan notched his third triple of the contest, putting the Fords up 29-19 with 6:16 left in the first. With the offense firing on all cylinders, it was Franklin helping the Fords reach their first-half apex with a triple with 5:51 to go.
After halftime, the Fords looked to put the contest away early in the period. A 6-0 run from the visitors put Haverford up by 19 as Love finished in the paint. A salvo from the Mules cut the lead to just 15 with 13:08 to go, but the lead hovered in double digits for much of the second half as Haverford relied on its depth with Dhruv Mehrotra and Brandon Banadda each seeing action in the stanza.
An 11-2 run for the hosts cut the lead to just five, with Haverford forced to regroup with the grip on the contest starting to slip slightly, up just 55-50 with 6:29 to play. Nate Torres converted from the free-throw line and later drained in a three for an eight-point cushion with 2:12 to go.
Forced to trade fouls for possessions, Muhlenberg capitalized on some late turnovers to trim the lead back to just five, and eventually whittled the Haverford advantage to a single possession at just three with 28 seconds remaining in regulation. Franklin and Trotter then each converted from the charity stripe to seal the win.
The Fords owned the rebounding advantage, 35-26, and shot 48 percent for the contest (24-50). Johnson (9-13) helped set the tone in the paint, while Ryan showed prowess from the perimeter to help build the lead in the first half.
The victory was Haverford's first in Allentown since the 2011 season. The Fords now return to action on Saturday, wrapping up the season series with Franklin & Marshall at 3 p.m. inside Gooding '84 Arena. The contest will be preceded by the women's team taking on the Diplomats at approximately 3 p.m.