MADISON, N.J. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (3-5) logged a non-conference victory at Drew (6-4) on Saturday afternoon, chasing down a 76-67 victory over the Rangers in the fall semester finale for the Fords. Haverford led wire-to-wire in the contest, fending off a second-half flurry from the hosts to prevail by nine points.
Jackson Ryan matched a game-best with 19 points, adding six rebounds and three assists to his ledger. Harry Johnson (12 points) and Ryan Trotter (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Fords, who shot 57.8 percent from the field and connected on 14 three-pointers, one of the most prolific three-point nights in program history. Haverford was outrebounded, but did well to convert from the field and take advantage of the second-chance opportunities they received. Nate Torres added seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals while the bench poured in 23 points to help the effort,
The Fords built up a 7-0 run to start the contest, catching Drew off guard as Ryan connected from deep in between deftly converted layups from Torres. Ryan connected from distance with 7:07 remaining as Haverford took a seven-point cushion yet again, this time at 20-13. Nick Kerkorian expertly placed a layup for an 11-point lead at 25-14 with 5:28 remaining, and buckets from Dhruv Mehrotra and Brandon Bannada helped the visitors stake a commanding 31-16 lead with under two minutes remaining in the first half.
After the intermission, Haverford continued to show poise with Johnson bringing the lead to its apex of 16 with a triple in the first 15 seconds of action. Drew unleashed an 11-3 run, bringing the momentum back to the side of the hosts with a valiant start to the second period. James Anderson connected from deep in that stretch, but Haverford fired back with yet another three from Ryan coming with 17:22 left in a quick start for both sides.
Drew got things back within seven points on multiple occasions, with Andrew Turco connecting from long distance with 13:30 to play, but Charlie Mamlin also connected from deep, one of his three triples, to put the Fords up by 10 with 13:04 to play.
Johnson restored a 16-point lead with 7:25 remaining in regulation as he connected from deep, and Haverford was on fire in the second stanza, shooting 63.6 percent from the field and knocking down eight of 13 from deep. Drew fought back to get within 10, but the Rangers were running up against the clock in the waning moments. Johnson poured in a dagger with 2:13 remaining, as the lead again hit 11.
Drew was forced to foul late, and Haverford hit nine free throws in the final 120 seconds to claim the road victory.
Men's Basketball will next return to action on December 29 and December 30, as the Fords reconvene in Southern California for a pair of matchups in the Los Angeles area. Haverford will take on Pomona-Pitzer on December 29 and No. 17 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on December 30 to wrap up the stint in the Golden State.