CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Haverford College men's basketball team (5-12, 2-3 CC) suffered its third Centennial Conference defeat of the season, dropping a 63-53 contest to Washington College (7-10, 2-3 CC) Saturday afternoon, inside the Penny J. Fall Gym on the Washington College campus.

Haverford jumped to an early lead in the first half, outscoring the Shoremen 19-15 with 10:22 remaining. The Fords shot efficiently (8-of-13 from the field, 3-of-6 from behind the arc) to build the early advantage. Logan Brown and Gaven Marr were key contributors, each scoring four early points.

However, both teams went cold for the next three minutes, with the Scarlet and Black edging out the hosts 4-2 to lead 23-17 with 5:32 remaining in the half. During this stretch, Haverford shot 2-of-6 from the field, while Washington College made just 1-of-6 attempts.

Washington College found its rhythm late in the half, closing out the first 20 minutes on a 7-4 run to narrow the gap. The Fords took a slim 27-24 lead into halftime, with five of the seven points for the hosts coming from the free-throw line. Precieux Tshibangu and Ben Costello each made two free throws.

At the half, WAC's Nolan Waldon led all scorers with 10 points, hitting four of seven shots and one three-pointer. For Haverford, Alex George led the visitors with five first-half points, shooting a perfect 2-of-2 from the field and making his only three-point attempt. The Fords shot 52 percent from the field (12-of-23) and 43 percent from three-point range (3-of-7), but Washington College's impressive free-throw shooting (7-of-8) kept the game close.

The second half began much like the first, with the Scarlet and Black outscoring the Shoremen 14-10 to take a 41-34 lead with 15:06 left. Haverford made 5-of-8 shots from the field in that stretch, while Carter Warren and Ali Kaan Bek connected on three-pointers.

However, following a Washington College timeout, the Shoremen went on a 16-4 run to take their first lead of the game, 50-46, with 8:40 remaining. Tshibangu scored eight points during the run, while Ethan Schwantes added six. Washington College shot 5-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The Shoremen's shooting cooled after the timeout, and two points each from Marr and Luke Phillips pulled the Fords within three, 52-49, with 5:58 left. Over the next four minutes, Washington College extended its lead, outscoring Haverford 7-4. Up 54-51, the Shoremen scored five consecutive points, including a three-pointer from Waldon and a layup from Costello. Marr responded with a jumper to cut the lead to 59-53 with 1:49 remaining. Washington College sealed the victory at the free-throw line, going 4-of-5 from the stripe to secure the 63-53 win.

The Shoremen ended the contest with three players in double-figures, as Waldon led the pack with 18 points. Schwantes put up 13 second-half points to finish the game with 15, while eight key second-half points from Tshibangu, pushed the forward's total to 12 points. For Haverford, Marr and Brown led the team with 10 points and seven rebounds each.

Washington College outscored Haverford 22-2 in points off turnovers and 28-14 in points in the paint. The Shoremen also shot 77 percent from the free-throw line (17-of-22), helping them hold off the Fords.

Men's basketball will return to action Wednesday, January 29, when the Fords face Centennial Conference foe Muhlenberg at 7:30 p.m. The contest will feature Haverford's annual Senior Varsity Blanket Ceremony at halftime. Prior to the game, there will be a reception in the GIAC to celebrate Chesick Scholar Athletes.