HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's basketball team (2-3, 1-0 CC) defended home court in the Gooding Arena opener on Tuesday evening, dispatching Washington College (0-2, 0-1 CC) by a 76-58 final. The contest was also the Centennial Conference opener for both teams. Nate Torres had a star turn with 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds in his 27 minutes, logging a double-double effort. Harry Johnson came off the bench to add 16 points and a pair of assists while Ryan Trotter notched six assists in the victory.
Haverford limited the Shoremen to just 19.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc and commanded the glass to the tune of a 46-28 rebounding advantage. The Fords were also a force in the paint with 44 of their 76 points coming in the painted area on the evening.
Jackson Ryan put the Fords ahead 6-3 early, before Washington College rallied to tie things at 10-10. Back-to-back jumpers from Will Matheny briefly gave the visitors a 15-12 lead, but Haverford rallied with Love converting from three-point range for a five-point cushion at 20-15, capping the stretch and forcing a Washington College timeout.
Torres later capped a 9-0 run with a triple, as Haverford jetted out to a 10-point lead with 4:44 remaining in the first half. Johnson then keyed a 9-2 spurt as Ryan converted from deep in the closing minute as Haverford suddenly found itself in command up 39-24. The two sides headed to the locker rooms for intermission with the Fords holding a comfortable 41-26 lead.
Undaunted, Washington College began the second frame on a 6-2 run, closing back to within 11, and ultimately were within nine at 15:43 remaining following a pair of buckets from Braden Rodriguez and Kedrick Frink. With the lead holding steady at nine with 13:05 to go, Haverford rattled off an 8-3 stretch to take a 14-point lead into the final nine minutes of action.
Washington remained in the contest, but never truly threatened as Nick Kerkorian drilled a three with 5:37 to go, extending the Haverford lead to 17 at 69-52. A 12-2 run late in the second half was punctuated by a layup from Brandon Banadda with 1:14 to go as Haverford was content to bring in some fresh reserves in the waning moments of action.
Haverford shot nearly 50 percent from the field (49.2), the best shooting night of the season, while also collecting a season high 48 rebounds and tallying a season-best 20 assists. The Fords have now won six consecutive contests against the Shoremen, including the last three at home inside Gooding '84 Arena. All six of the victories have come via double-digit scoring margin.
Zack Skrocki had 13 points to lead the Shoremen, as Kedrick Frink poured in 10 and Nick Romero and Matheny each tallied seven off the bench. Davis Bland grabbed nine points. da
The Fords will now break for the Thanksgiving holiday, before heading right back into a tough Centennial Conference slate, with a matchup at Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore on tap for Tuesday, November 29. The contest will begin at 8 p.m. and will follow the Haverford women taking on the Garnet at approximately 6 p.m.