POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (1-1) was defeated by Vassar (2-0) in the championship game of the Hochberg Family Tip-off Tournament, falling by a 80-52 final at the Athletics & Fitness Center on the campus of Vassar College Saturday afternoon. Despite the loss, the Fords finished as the runner-up in the tournament, as they defeated SUNY Purchase 63-61 on a Gabriel Franklin buzzer-beater Friday night.
The opening minutes on Saturday saw both teams trade threes, as Nicholas Stewart launched a three-pointer that was answered on the next possession with a trey from Luke Adams. The basket gave the Brewers a quick 5-2 lead to start the contest. Vassar then raced out to a 6-0 scoring run to take an eight-point lead at 11-3. Another Adams triple later in the stanza stretched the Brewers' lead to 10, as the Fords suddenly trailed 19-9.
Despite the Scarlet and Black falling into a deficit early, six points from Nick Klaiber kept the Fords in the game.
Case Parsons drilled a shot from behind the arc to stretch the Vassar lead to 23-11 with 7:58 remaining in the first half, but Zach Perry and Franklin each knocked down three-pointers to trim the lead down to 26-17, as the Fords started to find a bit of a rhythm offensively in the waning moments of the first half.
The following three-and-a-half minutes saw an 8-5 scoring run for the Scarlet and Black, as Franklin, Brandon Banadda, Logan Brown, and Gaven Marr all found nylon. The run saw the Fords cut the lead down to just six at 31-25, putting pressure back on the hosts.
However, just as Haverford started getting into a groove, another three-point dagger was nailed by Vassar, this time coming from Avery Lee, giving the Brewers a 34-25 lead. The Brewers went on a 7-2 run to close out the first half, as they were boasted by yet another three-pointer from Lee with less than a minute remaining before intermission.
At halftime Vassar led 41-27, thanks in large part by a remarkable three-point percentage of 53 percent, and a field goal percentage of 50 percent. Heading into the second half, Adams led all scorers with 10, while Klaiber paced the Fords with six. A 7-3 run to start the second half increased the Vassar lead 50-30, with Case Parsons contributing another five points. The lead jumped up to 25 (59-34) for the Brewers, as Sacha Greenberg was able to add five points out of the second half gates.
The Scarlet and Black began to fight back in a three minute span trimming the lead down to under 20 at 59-40, as another Marr jumper and a three from fellow rookie Ali Kaan Bek looked to spark the Fords offensively. The rest of the second half saw a 21-12 run by Vassar to close out the game 80-52. In the scoring stretch, Klaiber (six) and Kann Bek (four) scored 10 of the remaining 12 points, with Jackson Juzang adding the final two from the charity stripe.
Klaiber led all Haverford scorers with 14 points in his second collegiate contest, while Marr added eight, and Kaan Bek tallied seven. Marr led the Fords in rebounds with six, and tied for the team lead in assists with two, sharing the total with Banadda. The Brewers saw three players end the contest in double-digit points, as Lee totaled 13 points, with Adams and Parsons each securing 12. Greenberg pulled down seven rebounds for Vassar, while Adams dished out five assists.
The men's basketball team now returns home to Gooding '84 Arena, as they host the Lycoming Warriors in their home opener on Wednesday November 15, with tip-off being scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will also serve as the annual staff/faculty appreciation game, as players will honor faculty and staff from around the Haverford campus.