LANCASTER, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team fell to undefeated Franklin & Marshall on the road Saturday, 83-56. The Diplomats (7-0, 3-0 CC), a team receiving votes in the D3Hoops national poll, shot over 57% from beyond the arc in the Centennial Conference win while also locking down with strong perimeter defense.
Four Diplomats reached double figures in the contest, led by prolific scorer Brandon Federici's 21 point afternoon. Jonathan Lang led Haverford with 13 points, while Jesse Turkson came up just shy of his second straight double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes of play time.
Haverford kept within striking distance of F&M until the midway point of the opening half, trailing just 15-10 at that time. Nevertheless, the Diplomats' high-powered offense got on track shortly after with a 15-2 run over the next 4:30 of game time.
The Fords did score on three straight possessions shortly after with Joe Wujciak (twice) and Jack Cork getting into the paint, cutting the deficit to 12. A three-pointer from Kahlil Garnes made the deficit just 11 with 3:24 remaining in the first; however, the Diplomats closed the half with 13 unanswered points to carry a 43-21 edge into the locker room.
Those two large runs in the opening half proved too much for the Fords to overcome as Franklin & Marshall held just a 40-35 edge in second half scoring. One area that certainly helped the Fords keep pace over the final 20 minutes was their perfect 12-for-12 day at the free throw line.
Each of those 12 points came in the second half after Haverford did not make a single trip to the charity stripe during the opening period. Those 12 straight free throws tied a program record for most points at the line without a miss in a single contest. Haverford first accomplished that feat during the 2002-03 season when it hosted Muhlenberg. Josh Fried and Lang were both 4-for-4 at the line to highlight those efforts.
Men's basketball will look to even its conference and overall record when the team gets back on the road on Wednesday at Muhlenberg. That contest will be the team's final road trip before breaking for the holidays. Playing a doubleheader against the Mules with the women, the men's game is set for an 8 p.m. tip in Allentown. The Fords will also host Bryn Athyn and Eastern in non-conference action inside the Gooding '84 Arena before December's schedule officially comes to a close.