HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College men's basketball team (1-0) opened the 2025–26 season with an emphatic 111-79 victory over Valley Forge (0-1) on Saturday inside Calvin J. Gooding '84 Arena. The Fords delivered a dominant offensive showing, shooting 16-of-30 from three-point range.
The 16 made threes matched the program record previously set on November 6, 2021, at Lebanon Valley. The 111-point outburst also marked the program's fourth-highest single-game total and the most points scored in a contest since 1994.
Haverford featured seven double-figure scorers, with Adam Strong-Jacobson, Lawson Holland, and Niko Rizos each finishing with 12 points. Rizos recorded a double-double in his collegiate debut, adding 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Holland was perfect from beyond the arc, going 4-for-4, while Isaac Varghese knocked down three threes of his own. Carter Warren orchestrated the offense with seven assists to go along with five points, and Emmanuel Cheung Hernandez added seven points and two steals.
Valley Forge was led by Isaiah Reece, who tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added two assists. Denzel Pierre posted 14 points, including 3-of-5 from deep, and recorded two steals. Dominik McKenney-George contributed nine points and two steals, while Deven Dowdie added 10 points, a team-high five assists, and six rebounds. William Lawder anchored the paint defensively with two blocks and seven rebounds.
Haverford built its early momentum through crisp ball movement and consistent perimeter shooting. The teams traded baskets to open the game, but a 12-5 run—capped by a Holland three-pointer at 13:52—gave the Fords a 16-11 lead. From there, the hosts continued to push the pace and apply defensive pressure, entering halftime with a 50-40 advantage. The first half was defined by Haverford's eight made threes and 13 assists, along with a 29-11 edge in bench scoring.
The Fords broke the game open in the second half. Warren found Strong-Jacobson and Alex George for early layups to push the lead to 54-40, before Tyler Nolan knocked down back-to-back threes to extend the margin to 76-53 with just over 13 minutes remaining. Haverford continued to control the tempo with efficient shooting, consistent rebounding, and pressure defense, outscoring Valley Forge 61-39 in the half. Newcomers Kae Kilic and Josh Ho also tallied their first collegiate points as the Fords closed out the 32-point win.
Haverford finished the game shooting 23-of-39 in the second half and collected 25 rebounds—11 on the offensive glass—to generate second-chance opportunities. The Fords also capitalized on 10 Valley Forge turnovers, turning them into 14 points while adding six steals and two blocks.
Haverford will return to Gooding '84 Arena for its next matchup against Rosemont. The date and time will be announced pending finalized schedules surrounding the Centennial Conference Volleyball Tournament.
