LANCASTER, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team continued its growth Saturday afternoon as the Fords traveled to first-place Franklin & Marshall. Against the No. 19 Diplomats, the Fords rebounded from a tough opening half with a solid showing over the final 20 minutes. However, those opening 20 minutes proved too much to overcome in the 88-64 defeat.
Helping the team gain momentum in the second half was a career day from Kahlil Garnes. The freshman finished with a team-best and career-high 25 points. He scored 14 of those points in the second half. Joe Scibelli also reached double figures along with his classmate as he finished with 14 points against the nationally-ranked foe.
The Diplomats received double figure scoring days from four different players. However, it was the talented duo of reigning Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year Brandon Federici and all-conference performer Cedric Moune who led the charge. Federici scored a game-high 34 points, while Moune recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Franklin & Marshall's firepower that has moved the team up the national rankings this season was on full display in the opening half as the Diplomats shot 63.6 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. This included a 5-of-8 mark from beyond the arc.
Taking advantage of their home floor, the Diplomats jumped out early and forced Haverford into taking a timeout before the team had recorded its first basket from the field. Struggling to get momentum going in front of an always challenging Mayser Center crowd, the Fords crawled back to within nine points after Jeremy Evans connected from beyond the arc at the 12:30 mark of the opening half to set the score at 17-8. Two more points came a possession later from Josh Fried and again brought the deficit under 10.
Despite some cold shooting stretches in the opening half, Haverford trailed by just 11 when Fried hit from the field to make the score 38-27 with 3:03 left in the half. However, the Fords were limited to just five points from Garnes in the remainder of the half and trailed 50-32 at the break. Federici's hot shooting led the way in the opening half as he scored 21 points during his 17 minutes played before the teams headed to the locker room.
The Fords settled in defensively after some halftime adjustments and dropped the Diplomats' shooting more than 15 percent when comparing the two halves. Despite playing even with the first place squad for the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Fords still could not chip into the deficit. That first half ultimately paid huge dividends for the Diplomats in their eventual 88-64 victory.
Men's basketball will look to regroup on its home floor this Tuesday in the first of two home games this week. Up first will be Washington College, a team the Fords emerged with a 66-61 victory against down in Chestertown. That game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start time.