HAVERFORD, Pa. – Gibby Graves' 12 points led the offensive efforts of Haverford College's men's basketball team Tuesday night, but the host Fords were undone by a hot-shooting squad from Washington College in a 76-47 Centennial Conference loss in Gooding Arena.
The opening half saw Haverford (2-4, 0-3 CC) shoot 50 percent from the floor but the Shoremen (2-3, 2-1) cleaned the glass on the Fords' misses allowing the home team to come down with just two offensive rebounds, canceling out opportunities for second-chance points.
Washington came away with 21 rebounds, eight in its defensive end, over the opening 20 minutes and singed the netting from the free throw line converting 11-of-13 from the charity stripe to head into the halftime break with a 36-27 lead.
A respectable night from the floor turned sour in the second half for Haverford as it produced just a 6-for-31 (19 percent) effort from the floor as the Shoremen climbed from 38 percent to 68 percent over the final 20 minutes. For the game the Fords shot 32 percent from the field while Washington finished with a 52-percent night
Haverford had trimmed a 12-point deficit to nine right before the half on a Louis Cipriano three-pointer from the right corner, and the Fords looked to come out of the break using the long-range jumper as a spark to ignite a come back.
The Shoremen broke out of the gate with an 8-0 run over the first 2:11 of the half, though, to push the advantage too far for Haverford to overcome.
Graves' night was complimented by an eight-point night from Cipriano. Brett Cohen and Lucas Colombo led Haverford's rebounding efforts with eight apiece.
Washington was led offensively by Tony Hawkins who registered a game-high 21 points to go along with his 11 rebounds to complete a double-double. Kevin Cunningham, with 12 points, and Pat Morgan's 11 points gave the Shoremen three players in double-digits in scoring.
Next up for Haverford is another home Centennial contest as Franklin & Marshall College visits Gooding Arena Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. tip off.