James Hawk and Steve Ware picked up double-doubles to lead the Misericordia University men's basketball team to a 66-55 victory over Haverford on Saturday afternoon in the Anderson Center.

Ware led the Cougar's balanced offensive effort, which included four players in double figures, with 14 points and 13 boards while Hawk added 10 points and 10 boards. Joe Busacca chipped in with 12 points and Griffin Sponaugle finished with 11 points in the victory. 

The Cougars dominated the glass, out rebounding the Fords 46-38, including a 13-7 advantage in offensive boards. MU also held Haverford to just 2-17 from beyond the arc and 5-13 from the free throw line to help secure the win.

The two teams traded buckets for the majority of the first half, leading to a 16-16 tie with 8:55 left in the half. The Cougars then took the lead for good, closing out the half on a 14-5 run. Johnny Peterson, Erik Kerns and Hawk led MU during the run.

Busacca, Sponaugle and Ware dominated the first 15 minutes of the second half with Ware's two-handed slam giving the Cougars their largest lead of the night at 54-41 with just under seven minutes left to play. 

Busacca and Sponaugle then sealed the deal for MU with back-to-back three point buckets, making it a 19 point game at 64-45 with just over two minutes to play.

The Fords tried to spark a late rally, but it was too little, too late, as the Cougars broke a three-game losing skid with a 66-55 victory.

With the win MU improves to 8-4 while the Fords fall to 3-8 on the season. 

The Cougars return to action, Monday night at 7:00 against Arcadia in the Anderson Center. MU then returns to Freedom Conference play, Jan. 14 as they host Wilkes University at 8:00.