HAVERFORD, Pa. - In the second game of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader inside Gooding Arena, the Haverford men's basketball team (3-2) took down visiting Rosemont (0-5), 75-58, in a clinical showing. The Fords shot 50 percent from the field and logged a dominant performance in the paint.
The Fords were led by Gabriel Franklin, who leads the team this season in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game. Franklin poured in 20 points while grabbing six rebounds. Harry Johnson added 13 points and five rebounds while Nicholas Stewart continues to provide the Fords with consistent scoring output, contributing 10 points. However, the story of the day was the rebounding advantage. Haverford out-rebounded Rosemont 41-27 and rarely gave up second-chance opportunities.
Franklin got it going early thanks to his work on the defensive end. After a couple of steals that led to early buckets, Franklin scored six of the first eight Haverford points. The high pressure from the Haverford guards forced Rosemont into highly contested shots. Those shots would fall for the Ravens early, but things would quickly change once the visitors took a 13-12 lead. Haverford responded with an 8-0 run thanks in large part to Brandon Banadda. The Sophomore was aggressive off the bench, taking trips to the free-throw line and knocking down a three-pointer to make it 20-13. Banadda would finish the game with eight points.
Haverford then built a 10 point lead after a Gabe Franklin three, making the score 31-21 with three minutes left to play in the half. Franklin then put the Fords up 12 after a pair of free throws. However, Rosemont increased the pressure by implementing a full-court press that forced the Fords into some costly turnovers. The lead quickly diminished when the Ravens got hot from deep. Rosemont players Nick Strain, Tyler Petroski, and Kyree Myers, all knocked down threes to bring the team within one with under a minute remaining in the half. Ryan Trotter put the Fords up two after knocking down one from the charity stripe, before Franklin, continuing his hot shooting, beat the halftime buzzer with a three-pointer to give Haverford a five-point advantage at halftime.
The second half was all Haverford. Banadda put the Fords up 11 after his layup four minutes into the half. Nick Stewart then connected from the three-point line to give the Fords a 14-point lead. Despite losing the turnover battle in the game, Haverford remained aggressive in the second half, and it led to some easy chances in the paint. As a result, the Fords scored 38 points in the paint, while Rosemont scored only 20 on the afternoon.
The lead continued to grow after some Josh Love free throws and made shots. Love finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds, but his four total steals in the second half also helped build the lead to 21 points. Haverford outscored Rosemont 38-26 in the second half and won comfortably. Trotter scored nine points in the contest, doing most of his work at the free-throw line thanks to his eagerness to attack the basket.
Haverford improves to 2-1 against Rosemont all-time, avenging the previous loss they suffered against the Ravens in 2018.
The Fords return to action on Tuesday in the final game before the break for the Thanksgiving holiday, heading down to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for the first matchup of a doubleheader at Washington College (6 p.m.). The women's game will follow, with the tip-off slated for 8 p.m.