HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College Men's basketball team (3-2, 1-0 CC) claimed victory against the Shoremen of Washington College (2-3, 0-1 CC) by a score of 68-53 at Gooding '84 Arena in the first Centennial Conference matchup of the 2023-24 season.
The Shoremen raced out to a quick eight-point lead in the first seven minutes of the game thanks to a 11-3 run. Paul Rodolf dropped six points, while teammate Kedrick Frink tallied five points in the scoring stretch.
The Fords rallied back, cutting the deficit to 11-10, as the first-year trio of Logan Brown, Ali Kaan Bek, and Gaven Marr sparked a 7-0 scoring run.
Down 18-14 with 7:23 left in the first-half, Marr caught fire for the Scarlet and Black, as the guard connected on a four-point play by drilling a three-pointer, getting fouled, and converting the extra free throw, tying the game at 18 apiece. Glenview, Ill. product wasn't finished, as he sank another trey to give the Fords a 21-18, going on a solo 7-0 scoring run. Frink saw what Marr was able to accomplish, and decided to go on a run of his own, scoring six of eight points in a 8-5 scoring stretch to run out the half, knotting the teams at 26 apiece headed into the break.
At the half, Frink paced all scorers with 13 points, while Marr led Haverford in scoring with 10 points. Washington College's impressive field-goal percentage of 50 percent highlighted half number one, while Fords' impressive first-half three-point percentage of 40 percent flustered the Shoremen. The teams traded baskets in the opening five minutes of the second half, until a clutch triple from Gabe Franklin pushed the Scarlet and Black lead to 35-29 with 14:28 to go in the contest.
Three different Haverford scorers elevated the lead to 41-29, the biggest lead of the game at the time, before the Shoremen went on a 9-2 scoring run boasted by three consecutive shots from behind the arc. Ryan Schuh contributed one, while Zack Skrocki drilled two in a row to bring down the Scarlet and Black lead to just 43-38 with 10:21 remaining.
The two teams went back-and-forth in scoring once again, until another shot from downtown by Marr increased the Fords lead to 50-42. Hovering around an eight-point buffer, it was the first-year guard yet again, draining a three-pointer to give Haverford a double-digit lead 55-44 with 4:37 left in the game.
A 7-2 scoring stretch by Frink brought the Shoremen back to within six points, as the Fords led just 57-51 with just over three minutes left. With 1:41 on the clock, a Franklin triple was the catalyst to a 9-2 scoring run to seal the deal for the Fords, as Haverford claimed a 68-53 victory over Washington College.
Marr paced the Fords in scoring at the end of the battle, dropping 21 points and going 6-for-6 from behind the arc. Nicholas Stewart managed to pull down a game-high nine rebounds, and dish out another game-high of six assists. Leading all scorers in the matchup was Frink, who dropped 23 points for Washington College. The leading assist man was Rodolf with three helpers, while the tandem of Roldolf and Frink grabbed six boards each.
The Fords have now won eight consecutive contests against the Shoremen, including the last four at home inside Gooding Arena. All six of the victories have come via double-digit scoring margin.
Haverford Men's basketball returns following the Thanksgiving break on Tuesday, November 28, as they travel to Collegeville, Pa. to wrestle with the Bears of Ursinus. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., as the contest will follow the Haverford Women's basketball team's clash with the Bears, which will start at 6 p.m.