COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (4-10, 2-5 CC) was defeated in a tough road contest at Ursinus (10-4, 5-2 CC) on Thursday night, falling by an 89-79 final at Helfferich Hall on the Ursinus campus. Nate Torres had 21 points to lead three Haverford players in double figures, but a stellar night from Ryan Hughes proved to be a difference maker for the host Bears as he added 28 points.
Haverford began the contest with all of the momentum from the opening whistle, opening on a strong 8-0 run that was keyed by back-to-back triples from Charlie Mamlin and Jackson Ryan. Josh Love put an exclamation mark on the early run at 10-3, connecting on a jumper with just over 16 minutes remaining in the first as Haverford was forcing the hosts to search for answers.
Ursinus found its rhythm as the hosts rallied with a 10-2 run of their own to take their first lead of the contest following a triple from Trevor Wall, and back-to-back treys from Hughes and Kyle Maurer later helped Ursinus open up a six-point cushion halfway through the first stanza. Torres responded for the Fords as he connected from distance to keep Haverford within one with 7:38 showing on the clock, and Harry Johnson regained the lead for the visitors with a quick layup in transition.
Down the stretch, an 8-2 Ursinus run helped the hosts head into the intermission with a 34-29 cushion to their name. In the early moments of the second half, two quick treys from Hughes put the Bears up by 10 at 42-32, and Haverford struggled to get back into the offensive rhythm of the contest against an experienced backcourt. Hovering within 10 points for much of the second half, Haverford just could not quite get a sustained run going as Ursinus seemingly had an answer for every salvo on the other end.
Mohamed Toure poured in a big three with 7:55 showing in regulation, putting his side up by 15 at 64-49. Nick Nocito then grabbed a layup to extend the lead to 17, the largest of the contest for either side with just over 7:30 left
An 11-2 run from that point helped put Haverford back into the contest down the stretch, but the Fords never got closer than two possessions as Ursinus was able to put things away from the charity stripe late, making the most of some late trips to the free-throw line. Ursinus held a slight 32-28 edge on the glass on the night, and made the most of its perimeter opportunities with 11 triples. In total, Ursinus shot a tidy 53.8 percent from the field, holding the Fords to 47.5 percent in a fast-paced contest that featured five lead changes.
Ryan was again a key contributor for the Fords, adding 17 points and six rebounds to his ledger. Ryan Trotter reached double figures with 11 points to go with three boards, and Johnson joined Stewart with nine points each in a reserve role.
The Fords now return to action on Saturday, taking on Dickinson in Centennial Conference action at 3 p.m. inside Gooding '84 Arena. The matchup will be the first with the Red Devils in the 2022-23 season, and will follow the women's squad also facing off with Dickinson at approximately 1 p.m.