TOWSON, Md. — The Haverford College men's basketball team (5-5) dropped a tightly contested 62–60 decision at Goucher (4-7) on Wednesday afternoon inside the Decker Sports & Recreation Center. The Fords carried a four-point lead into halftime but were unable to hold it, as the Gophers outscored Haverford 36–30 in the second half. Despite forcing 11 steals, the Scarlet and Black committed 12 turnovers, which proved costly in the narrow defeat.
Haverford opened the game with strong energy on the glass, using a 16–2 first-half run to build a nine-point cushion (30–21) with 2:26 remaining. Raja Coleman, Carter Warren, and Isaac Varghese fueled the surge, combining for three three-pointers during the stretch, while Niko Rizos provided second-chance opportunities with five offensive rebounds. Goucher answered with late baskets before intermission, trimming the deficit to four at the break. Darnell Morris sparked the response with strong transition play, while Jadyss Fifer added interior scoring to keep the Gophers within striking distance. Haverford's bench contributed 12 points in the opening half, and the Fords converted five three-pointers. Despite committing seven turnovers, Haverford leveraged 14 offensive rebounds to generate seven second-chance points and secure a 30–26 halftime advantage.
The second half unfolded as a possession-by-possession battle. Goucher erased the deficit early behind three straight three-pointers from Jack Murdaugh and a strong interior presence from Avree Harris, taking its first lead of the game at 38–35. Haverford countered with timely buckets from Varghese and Adam Strong-Jacobson, while Warren converted at the free-throw line to keep the Fords within reach. Neither team led by more than five points over the final eight minutes. A fast-break three from Gaven Marr gave Haverford a brief 55–54 edge with 4:49 remaining, but the hosts responded moments later with a layup from Liech Kong and a three-pointer from Morris off a turnover to reclaim a 59–56 lead.
Trailing 61–58 with just over a minute remaining, Strong-Jacobson converted a putback layup at the 1:06 mark to pull Haverford within one. After a defensive stop, Marr came up with a steal and raced coast-to-coast, finishing a fast-break layup with 26 seconds left to make it 61–60. Goucher answered at the line, as Austin Carter made one of two free throws with 18 seconds remaining to extend the lead to 62–60. Carter missed the second attempt, which was secured by the Scarlet and Black, but a turnover by Tyler Nolan returned possession to the Gophers. Goucher missed both ensuing free throws, but a clutch offensive rebound by Jon Perry sent the hosts back to the line once more. Perry also missed both attempts, as the Gophers went 0-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final moments. Marr grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball ahead to Warren, who drove down the lane before being met by a game-clinching block from Perry at the buzzer, sealing the New Year's Eve victory for Goucher.
Strong-Jacobson led the Scarlet and Black with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Nolan contributed defensively with four steals while scoring five points on 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line. Marr added nine points and three steals, and Christian Uremovich finished with eight points and five rebounds.
Morris led the Gophers with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added two steals. Fifer contributed 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds. Murdaugh was perfect from beyond the arc, knocking down all three of his three-point attempts to finish with nine points. Kong provided a defensive presence with three blocks, while Chima Egeonu added two blocks and scored four points at the free-throw line.
Haverford returns to Gooding '84 Arena for its next contest, hosting Marywood on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will follow the Haverford women's basketball game against Immaculata at 1 p.m.
