ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Haverford College men's basketball team dropped a tightly contested Centennial Conference matchup to Muhlenberg, 63–60, inside Memorial Hall on Wednesday evening. The Fords (7–11, 1–5 CC) leaned on an aggressive defensive effort, forcing 11 turnovers, recording nine steals, and scoring 14 points off giveaways. Despite trailing by five at halftime, the Scarlet and Black mounted a second-half comeback but could not overcome a balanced Muhlenberg (10–8, 3–3 CC) attack that knocked down seven three-pointers.
Adam Strong-Jacobson led Haverford with a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds, converting all eight of his free-throw attempts for his seventh double-double of the season. Emmanuel Cheung Hernandez added 11 points and six rebounds on an efficient 4-for-5 shooting night, while Gaven Marr chipped in 10 points, six boards, and two steals. Niko Rizos contributed six points and two steals for the Fords.
Peter Stanton-Shepherd paced the Mules with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding seven rebounds and two steals. Arinze Achufusi followed with 12 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line, while Drew Buck added seven points, three rebounds, and three steals.
Muhlenberg seized early momentum, building a 17–8 lead at the 13:04 mark of the opening half. Strong-Jacobson sparked a response for the Scarlet and Black, scoring on consecutive second-chance opportunities at 12:45 and 11:29 to begin an 11–0 run. Marr knocked down a three at 11:15 to cut the deficit to 17–15, then drilled another triple following a Cheung Hernandez free throw to give the Fords a 19–17 edge with 7:27 remaining.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch of the half, but the Mules reclaimed the lead behind efficient shooting and active defense. After a Strong-Jacobson putback with 41 seconds left, Achufusi connected on a step-back jumper at the horn to send Muhlenberg into the locker room with a 30–25 advantage.
Haverford stayed within striking distance in the opening half by dominating the offensive glass, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds and scoring eight second-chance points. Despite shooting just 33 percent from the field, the Fords' energy on the boards kept the deficit manageable at the break.
The Scarlet and Black opened the second half with renewed urgency. Strong-Jacobson converted a pair of free throws at 19:25, and Rizos finished a fast-break layup at 16:34 to pull Haverford within three, 34–31. The Fords continued to chip away, trimming the margin to one after a Strong-Jacobson layup made it 38–37 with 13:53 to play.
Muhlenberg responded with a timely surge, outscoring Haverford 10–6 over the next stretch to push the lead to 48–39 with 9:50 remaining. Three-pointers from Buck and Jack Woodard helped fuel the run and reestablish momentum for the Mules.
The Fords refused to fade. Strong-Jacobson buried a step-back jumper at 8:48 and followed with a three at 7:36 to cut the deficit to 50–46. Stanton-Shepherd answered with a layup and a three, and a Gavin D'Iorio triple later pushed Muhlenberg's lead back to nine, 58–49, with 4:35 left.
A pivotal sequence followed when Cheung Hernandez drew a flagrant foul. After splitting the technical free throws, a Tyler Nolan layup and two Strong-Jacobson free throws pulled the Scarlet and Black within 58–54 with 2:41 remaining. Strong-Jacobson struck again from the line after an Achufusi basket, trimming the margin to 60–56 with 1:04 on the clock.
Marr came up with a clutch steal and dunk at the 51-second mark to bring Haverford within two, 60–58. Achufusi converted free throws on the ensuing possession, but Cheung Hernandez answered with a second-chance layup with seven seconds remaining to make it 62–60.
Woodard was fouled with four seconds left and split a pair of free throws for the Mules. Raja Coleman secured the rebound on the miss, but the Fords were unable to get a potential tying shot off before time expired.
Haverford outscored Muhlenberg 35–33 in the second half and finished with a 14–10 edge in points in the paint. The Scarlet and Black also converted 11 turnovers into 12 points while recording eight steals. Despite shooting 39 percent from the field and connecting on just one three-pointer, the Fords remained within one possession until the final seconds.
Haverford returns home on Saturday, January 31, to host Johns Hopkins, a team receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com poll. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside Gooding '84 Arena.
