GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Haverford College Men's basketball team (2-2) dropped a non-conference contest to the Arcadia Knights (4-0) by a score of 71-56 at Alumni Arena on the campus of Arcadia University Saturday afternoon.
First-year guard Gaven Marr started the scoring, laying in a basket to give Haverford a quick 2-0 lead. The lead was short-lived, as Arcadia's Josh Okocha drilled a shot from deep to give the Knights a 3-2 advantage. A three-point play by Jalen Watkins pushed the Knights lead to 6-2, followed by two more buckets from Arcadia to go up 10-2 early.
The Scarlet and Black were able to trim the Arcadia lead down to five, with a free-throw and jumper from Nick Klaiber. A 6-2 run the Knights pushed the advantage to 20-9 in favor of the hosts with 11:37 to go in the first-half.
Up by 11 points, Arcadia jumped out to a 10-0 scoring run boosted by five points from the leading scorer in the MAC Freedom conference Nas Johnson. Haverford's Ali Kaan Bek put an end to the 10-0 stretch by hitting a jump shot, followed by a trey from Brandon Banadda to keep the game within 16 points.
Within the final two-and-a-half minutes of the half, Gabe Franklin and Darius Issac of the Knights traded three-pointers to bring the score to 35-18 in Arcadia's favor. Franklin tallied two more points off a layup, as the half ended with a 35-20 Knights' lead.At the half, Arcadia shot an impressive 15-for-35, with Justin Money leading all scorers with eight points. Haverford was lifted by Banadda's six points in the first stanza.
The opening four-and-a-half minutes in the second half saw both teams trade buckets, with the Fords holding an 8-7 advantage. Klaiber's four points in the stretch kept Haverford within 14. The Knights then jumped out to a 49-30 lead with a 7-2 run thanks to the dangerous scoring combination of Watkins and Money. In the midst of a 12-7 scoring run for Arcadia, Haverford showed some life after a three-pointer was converted by Franklin.
Down 18, the Fords went on a 8-2 scoring run thanks to four points from Logan Brown and four points from Klaiber, to pull within 12 points with 7:08 to go.
The teams continued to exchange baskets as the Scarlet and Black kept the game within a 12-point buffer. With 59 seconds left, a Johnson shot from downtown sealed the game for the Knights, expanding the lead to 69-54.A pair of free throws from Money and Banadda wrapped up the battle, as Arcadia came away with the 71-56 victory.
The Fords ended the matchup with three scorers in double figures, as Klaiber's 14 points in the second half pushed his point total to a team-leading 19 points. Banadda was able to tally 15 points on the day, with Franklin contributing 10 points of his own.
Clay Killoren pulled down 10 rebounds leading all players on the afternoon, as Kaan Bek paced Haverford in assists with two.
For the Knights, just like Klaiber, Watkins used a 14-point second half to end the contest with a team high 19 points. Money put up 13 points, while the duo of Okocha and Johnson produced 10 points each. Watkins led Arcadia with seven rebounds, and Money handed out four assists.
Men's Basketball will return to action Tuesday, November 21, as the Shoremen of Washington College travel to Gooding '84 Arena for the Centennial Conference opener. The contest will serve as the Men's Health Awareness game, and will serve as a prelude to the women's game against Bryn Mawr. Tip-off for the men's fixture is slated for 6 p.m.