CHESTERTOWN, Md. – In a cruel twist of fate, the Haverford College men's basketball team shot 7-of-13 from beyond the arc in the opening half as the Fords led for nearly 33 minutes and by as many as 14 points against Washington College on Wednesday evening. However, it was a Shoremen go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds that was the difference in a 79-77 setback.
Jonathan Lang led Haverford's first half assault from three-point land as he knocked down four triples during the opening 20 minutes on his way to a game-high 22 points. Jack Cork was the only other Haverford player to finish in double figures as he just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Washington College had four players finish in double figures, led by Dallas Marshall's 18 point evening.
The lead changed hands four times early on during the opening half, but an 8-0 run from the Fords just over seven minutes into the period ensured they would lead for the majority of that time. The Shoremen held their largest lead of the night, 15-11, with 13:06 remaining in the opening period.
However, Lang gave the Fords a lead they would hold all the way up until the final minute of regulation with back-to-back treys as Haverford held the hosts without a field goal for 3:45 of playing time. A Grayson Roth three-pointer at the 6:38 mark gave Haverford its largest lead of the half, 32-21, before the visitors carried a 43-33 lead into their locker room. Lang finished that opening half 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to account for 12 of his 14 first half points.
Haverford started just as quickly in the second half with the Fords scoring on their first two offensive trips as Cork and Lang both got free in the paint to give Haverford its largest lead of the night, 47-33, with 19:16 to play in regulation. However, a WAC timeout stole Haverford's momentum as the Shoremen did not concede a basket for over four minutes of playing time as they trimmed their deficit down to just five points. Back-to-back baskets from Jesse Turkson in his return to floor, coupled with an old fashioned three-point play from Joe Scibelli stretched Haverford's lead back to 10 with 14:37 to play and the Fords were still holding a nine point advantage with 9:12 showing on the game clock.
Once again, the Shoremen put together a rally and scored the next seven points to trim Haverford's lead to just two points, 64-62, with just 7:47 to play. Haverford's lead ballooned back up to seven points with 3:36 to play as Kyle Goldfarb and Kahlil Garnes scored layups on back-to-back trips down the floor, but another 7-0 run from the hosts tied the game for just the third time all night.
With the score tied 74-all and 1:16 remaining in regulation, Garnes got to the free throw line with exactly one minute to play and hit the front end of his double bonus. That was quickly answered by WAC's Marshall who put a layup in with 41 seconds to play, giving the Shoremen their first lead in over 31 minutes of game action, 76-75.
Undeterred, Lang did some work of his own in the paint to help his side reclaim a 77-76 lead with 24 seconds to play. After Lang's basket, each side had scored on its last three possessions. Unfortunately for Haverford, that trend carried over once more as Josh Porteous knocked down a three-pointer with heavy pressure in his face for what turned out to be the winning points in the 79-77 final. The Fords had an inbound with two seconds left after a timeout but could not connect on the full court pass as the final horn sounded.
Haverford did outrebound Washington College by a 37-27 margin as seven different Fords pulled down multiple rebounds. In addition to the leading scorers, Goldfarb finished with nine points while Scibelli and Turkson each added eight points. The Fords also shared the ball well with 18 assists on 30 field goals. Each starter finished with at least two dimes as Lang posted a game-high six assists to go along with his game high point total.
As the calendar now flips to February, the Fords will wrap up the regular season with three of their final five games inside Gooding '84 Arena. The first of those contests will be this coming Saturday with the men's and women's teams hosting a doubleheader against Gettysburg. The men's contest will follow the women's game and is scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip.