DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team (3-7) just narrowly fell to host Delaware Valley (5-5) by a score of 92-89 in non-conference action inside the James Work Gymnasium on the campus of Delaware Valley University on Tuesday afternoon.
The Aggies rolled out to an early 17-8 lead in the first four and a half minutes of the contest, connecting on seven of 10 shots, which included going 3 for 4 from 3-point range. The opening minutes saw Antonio Redding and Marquel Fitzgerald contribute five points each. The Fords opened up shooting four of seven from the field, with four different scorers finding the bottom of the net in that stretch.
Out of an early Haverford timeout, it was the Fords who edged out the hosts in the next six and a half minutes, outscoring the Aggies 13-11 to trim the lead down to 28-21 with 6:37 to go in the first half. The Scarlet and Black saw Adam Strong-Jacobson put up four points in the run, while Seth Anderson and Luke Phillips each knocked down 3-pointers. Haverford capitalized on three DelVal turnovers to begin cutting into the host's advantage.
The Scarlet and Black began to find its offensive rhythm out of the break, as the Fords went on an 11-5 scoring run to bring the game to within just one point, 33-32, with 2:48 to go in the opening half. Alex George sank the lone 3-pointer in the span, while Gaven Marr and Ali Kaan Bek also found nylon, boosting the visitors' shooting efficiency from the field.
Following the quick Haverford timeout, Phillips drained a deep two-point shot to regain the lead for the Fords, before a 3-pointer from Marr pushed the visitors' newfound advantage to 37-33 to eventually close out the half.
At Halftime, Marr led all scorers on the floor with nine points by going 3 for 4 from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. The Fords also saw first-half contributions from Phillips (seven points), Strong-Jacobson (six points), and Kaan Bek (six points). On the other side of the floor, the Aggies were bolstered by Redding, who dropped eight points, and Zoelin Pair, who put up six points.
Haverford shot 43 percent in the first 20 minutes of the game, going 15 for 35 from the field while connecting on 27 percent of their 3-point attempts.
A frenetic second half began with a 7-3 run by Mike Herrin of the Aggies, who scored all seven points by going 3 for 4 from the field, including a slam dunk and a 3-pointer. Derin Ongur sank the lone 3-pointer for the Scarlet and Black, as the two teams were knotted up at 40 apiece with 18:34 remaining. Coming out of an early Aggie timeout, Marr converted a rare four-point play after getting fouled on a successful 3-pointer to push the lead up to 46-42 with 17:35 left in the second half.
However, DelVal got a second wind and went on a 22-11 scoring run to take back the lead, 64-57, with 10:56 to go in the second half. A 3-point barrage gave the Aggies new life, as the hosts shot 5 of 6 from deep, as Herrin and Redding knocked down two 3-pointers each in the commanding run.
A 6-2 spurt saw the Fords come roaring back yet again, as Anderson, Marr, and Christian Uremovich all collected baskets, but a Redding 3-pointer halted the Scarlet and Black's momentum, as DelVal took a six point cushion at 69-63 into an Aggie timeout with 7:49 remaining.
A shooting spectacle from both teams was on display for the next four and a half minutes, as both teams combined to shoot 6 of 11 from downtown, with the Fords burying four 3-point field goals. Kaan Bek hit two 3-pointers, while Phillips added one more to the stat line, before a Marr shot from 3-point range brought the hosts' lead to within one, 79-78, with 3:21 left on the clock. Down 84-80, Marr splashed down another 3-pointer to force another DelVal timeout with just 1:26 to go, with the hosts clinging to an 84-83 lead.
Following two successful pairs of free throws from Herrin and Kamal Johnson, Carter Warren cashed in on a huge three-point play to put the Fords within two points, 88-86, with only 29 seconds remaining, lighting up the Haverford bench.
The Aggies went back up three, 91-86, after Jordan Gombs and Johnson combined for three more free throws with 18 ticks left on the clock before Kaan Bek buried a much-needed 3-pointer to cut the DelVal lead down to just 91-89 with 10 seconds to go. Aggies guard Jake McGinty tacked on one more free throw but missed the second, as Haverford raced up the floor with only seconds remaining. Warren launched a game-tying prayer from half court but couldn't quite get it to go, as Delaware Valley just barely hung on to a 92-89 victory.
In what was a true shootout between the teams, the Fords shot 48 percent from the field (33 of 69) and 44 percent from behind the 3-point line (14 of 32). Marr paced all Haverford scorers with 23 points, while Kaan Bek (16 points) and Phillips (10 points) reached double figures. On the glass, Marr and Anderson each pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
The Aggies took advantage of an impressive 54 percent shooting percentage (34 of 63) and a 50 percent 3-point percentage (14 of 28), while two players surpassed the 20-point threshold in Redding (28 points) and Herrin (23 points).
Men's Basketball will now travel to Dallas, Pa., to begin the 2025 portion of their schedule, as the Fords will take on the Misericordia Cougars at 3 p.m. on Jan. 4.