BALTIMORE, Md. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (11-9, 7-6 CC) fell away from home inside Goldfarb Gymnasium on the Johns Hopkins campus on Saturday. The Fords came up short in a matchup with the host No. 19 Blue Jays (16-3, 12-2 CC) by a final score of 71-47. The Fords battled in the first half with some gritty play and tough defense, but it wasn't enough as the Blue Jays flipped the switch in the second half to pull away down the stretch. 

Haverford was led by Nate Torres, who scored 10 points and collected six rebounds, earning Wall-O'Mahony Game MVP honors for Haverford as part of Hopkins' annual Wall-O'Mahony Basketball Weekend, named in honor of two former Blue Jay teammates who lost their lives in the September 11, 2011 attacks.  The Fords also received solid scoring contributions from Harry Johnson (7), Ryan Trotter (6), and Nick Kerkorian (5) on a chilly afternoon. 

It was cold outside, but both teams didn't expect to be as cold inside the gym to start the game. Haverford and Johns Hopkins struggled to get anything going in the first half, specifically the opening four minutes of action. The first field goal for either team didn't come until the 16:14 mark when John Hopkins' Will Sykes converted a layup plus a foul. The following basket didn't fall until a Sidney Thybulle layup two minutes later. Haverford finally got their first field goal when Trotter knocked down a three-pointer from an inbounds play.

The shooting woes were continuous throughout the half. Johns Hopkins shot 38.7 percent from the field on 12-37 shooting. It didn't get much better for the home team from three as they only converted on three of their 15 attempts from deep. For Haverford, the shooting struggles were just as prevalent. The Fords shot 29.6 percent on 8-27 shooting overall while also shooting 2-11 from the three-point line. Despite the struggle from the field, the Blue Jays still controlled the game enough to head into halftime with a 29-21 lead.

The second half opened up with a three-pointer from Kerkorian to cut the lead to five. However, Johns Hopkins followed up the basket with a 13-0 run to wrestle control of the contest. Jackson Ryan converted a driving layup to end the run, but the extended stretch from the Blue Jays took all of the energy out of the Fords. For Johns Hopkins, it was a tale of two halves, and the second half really made the difference on the afternoon. While shooting over 50 percent from the field, Johns Hopkins built their lead up to as big as 27 points. The hosts also heated up from deep down the stretch, knocking down eight three-pointers. 

For Haverford, they will look ahead for an opportunity to remain in the playoff hunt with a home contest against Muhlenberg on Tuesday, February 8. The game will be BLUE Night for Type 1 Diabetes Awareness and scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip-off inside Gooding '84 Arena. The busy week continues with two road trips to Dickinson (Feb. 10) and Gettysburg (Feb. 12).