BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men's basketball team used a 12-0 run to start the second half in a come-from-behind, 69-68 victory over Haverford College on Monday evening in Johnston Hall in the final non-conference game of the season.
The Greyhounds (11-11) boasted four players in double-figures with senior guard Kenny Gula leading all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Senior center Cameron Cullen netted 15 points and grabbed six rebounds while going 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
The win marked the third time this season the Greyhounds have erased at least an eight-point deficit to claim victory. Head coach Jim Walker will take the win, but it's not exactly how he drew it up.
"I don't like playing from behind at half every game," Walker said. "We've been talking about being more consistent, and we did that in the second half. We stopped turning the ball over and we were more aggressive with our pressure. There was generally a better determination during the final 20 minutes."
Senior center Blake English contributed to the second-half turnaround en route to recording 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. The two blocks gives the senior 54 this year, the most in the Landmark Conference, and just three away from setting a new school record for swats in a single season.
Sophomore forward Matt Bosch tossed in 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting while adding three boards, a block and a steal.
Junior point guard Izel Dickerson, the team's leading scorer, did not light up the scoreboard in typical fashion, but instead controlled the pace of the game in his role as floor general in addition to playing stellar defense. Dickerson notched five assist and two steals compared to just two turnovers in a team-high 31 minutes.
"It was a good team effort with four guys in double figures," Walker said. "Izel ran the offense well despite not scoring. He didn't bring any defensive problems. He's scored more points for us in the past, but five assists and two turnovers is a big turnaround for him as far as leadership and ball control."
A good jumper and a layup from sophomore swingman Jarrod Dilts gave the Greyhounds a 25-16 lead midway through the first half, but the Fords (7-13) bounced back to retake the lead 31-30 with 3:51 left in the opening half thanks to an 11-3 scoring run.
Minutes later, Haverford strung together another run – this one ending at 11-0 – to take a comfortable 38-30 advantage into halftime. The Greyhounds were charged with six turnovers in eight possessions during the final stretch of the first half.
"We didn't go into the locker room happy," said Walker, who urged his squad to turn the tides right from the second-half whistle. "It was a good turnaround. We did a nice job on their leading scorer [Brett Cohen]. We certainly didn't want to lose this one. We want that winning season and I think it was important to go up to Susquehanna with a win under our belts."
Cohen still finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds with three blocks, but the Fords' senior leader could not single-handedly stop the tidal wave that was coming in the second half.
Moravian ripped out of the locker room, going on a 12-0 run before the Fords found the bucket. The Hounds quickly retook the lead, 39-38.
The Fords, however, remained resilient and kept the contest within four points for the remaining 17:50 of the game. The score was tied twice and changed hands three times during the final 20 minutes.
Freshman guard Sean Hanna knocked down a trey to tie the game at 52-52 with 11:29 remaining. Two minutes later, Gula got three points the old-fashioned way to bring the Greyhounds within one of the Fords, 58-57.
Three layups in succession from Cullen, Bosch and English at the 4:20 remaining mark gave the Hounds a lead they would not relinquish. Dickerson proved he could have a quiet night, yet still make significant noise with two of his four points coming with only 1:21 left to keep Moravian ahead 67-64.
Gula essentially iced the game from the charity stripe with two freebies for the 69-66 lead, but Haverford had the last chance to tie. Their three-point field goal attempt was no good, but the Fords scored the put back to set the final score at 69-68.
Despite shooting 2-of-16 from beyond the arc, Moravian managed to salvage a 45.5 percent shooting mark from the floor. Haverford held slight advantages down low, winning the rebounding battle 37-36 and points in the paint 38-36.
Moravian continues Landmark Conference play on Saturday, Feb. 15 with a trip to Susquehanna University at 2 p.m. The Crusaders won the first matchup in Bethlehem 68-63 on Jan. 25.