HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team (5-10, 2-1 Centennial) earned a pivotal Centennial Conference victory on Saturday, defeating the visiting Dickinson College Red Devils (6-9, 1-2 Centennial) by an 80-70 margin inside Calvin J. Gooding '84 Arena.
The Fords jumped out to an early lead and did enough in the second half to limit the Red Devils, holding a 35-28 advantage at halftime behind Gaven Marr's offensive output. Marr finished with a game-high 22 points, shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Adam Strong-Jacobson contributed 15 points and six rebounds, while Logan Brown added seven points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Brown's defensive presence anchored Haverford, which totaled four blocks and held Dickinson to 34.3 percent shooting on the afternoon.
Dickinson saw four players score in double figures, led by Ryan Leskauskas' 18 points off the bench, fueled by five three-pointers. Brandon Wiercinski added 17 points, also hitting five from deep, while Isaiah Edmond (13 points, eight assists) and Joey Dopirak (12 points, six rebounds) rounded out the top performers for the Red Devils.
Haverford raced to a 13-5 lead after Harry Johnson's jumper at the 14:46 mark in the first half. Leskauskas trimmed the lead to five with a three-pointer, but a 7-0 spurt by the Fords, including a Seth Anderson three-pointer and a Christian Uremovich basket, made it 20-10 with 11:39 remaining. Marr's layup with 6:21 left pushed the lead to 27-19, but Dickinson countered with an 8-0 run, capped by Wiercinski's three-pointer, to tie the game at 27-all with 4:20 to play.
Buckets from Ali Kaan Bek and Ian Hochman helped Haverford rebuild a four-point edge. Marr added another layup, and Brown hit a free throw to give the Fords a 35-28 halftime lead.
Dickinson opened the second half strong, pulling back within two at 39-37 on an Edmond layup that forced a Haverford timeout. The Fords responded with Carter Warren's three-pointer, but Leskauskas brought Dickinson back within one possession with 13 minutes remaining. Leskauskas later converted at the 11:21 mark to cut the deficit to 52-50.
Haverford answered with a decisive 9-0 run, punctuated by Strong-Jacobson's layup with 8:49 left, to extend the lead to double digits. Wiercinski's three-pointer cut the Fords' lead back down to six with five minutes left, but Strong-Jacobson's late dunk and solid free-throw shooting sealed the victory for Haverford. The Fords held a dominating edge on the glass, with 52 rebounds to just 34 for the Red Devils. Haverford also excelled with 36 points in the paint.
Men's Basketball now continues Centennial Conference play on Wednesday, January 22, taking on Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa. for a 7 p.m. tip-off.