CLAREMONT, Calif. - Completing a back-to-back against a tough opponent in No. 13 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (10-1), the Haverford College men's basketball team (3-7) was defeated by a 71-44 final in front of 118 at the Roberts Pavilion, as the Fords concluded a Southern California road swing to wrap up the 2022 portion of the slate.
Nate Torres was the only Haverford player to tally in double digits on the afternoon, pouring in 10 points to pace the squad. Ryan Trotter added seven rebounds while Nick Stewart added a team-best four assists. In contrast to a sharp-shooting effort from beyond the arc on Thursday night, Haverford struggled from long distance with just a 3-for-18 clip from three-point land (16.7 percent) as CMS used those misfires to stoke a large advantage on the other end.
Haverford came out of the gates strong, holding tough with the Stags in the early goings. Nate Torres tied the score at 4-4 with 17:13 to go, and Haverford was within two as Dhruv Mehrotra and Torres keyed a 4-0 run to trim the lead to 12-10 in favor of CMS.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the Stags then wrestled control of the contest with a stifling 23-0 run that lasted for the vast majority of the first half. Haverford finally ended the daunting stretch with a pair of Torres free throws in the waning moments of the first stanza, but the damage was already done as the Stags headed into the intermission with a 23-point cushion in hand.
Haverford struggled to begin the second frame, as a 17-0 CMS run gave the hosts a 42-point lead, the largest of the contest, with 15:52 remaining as Josh Angle connected from distance. A 9-3 Haverford run helped the Fords gain a bit of momentum back, with Mehrotra and Charlie Mamlin each adding buckets, and a 10-2 spurt then helped the Fords climb a bit closer at 63-32 with 4:32 to play as Clay Killoren grabbed a bucket and Zach Perry struck from deep.
Brandon Banadda and Jackson Juzang notched back-to-back buckets ahead of a triple from Mehrotra as another 10-2 run from Haverford brought the visitors within 25 with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.
Haverford went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line on the afternoon, and notched 25 bench points, with Mehrotra leading that group with nine points. Angle had a game-best 26 to lead the Stags, while Justin Pratt (16 points), and Kiran Kruse (10) also tallied in double digits.
The Fords will now return to action in 2023, with the Centennial Conference slate resuming on Wednesday, January 4 at Gettysburg. The contest will begin at approximately 8 p.m. as the second game of a doubleheader that also sees the women's squad kick off the 2023 portion of the slate at 6 p.m.