HAVERFORD, Pa. – Despite a 31-point first half, the Haverford College men's basketball team (5-19, 2-10 CC) fell to the visiting Washington College Shoremen (8-16, 3-9 CC) by a score of 64-51 on Wednesday night at Gooding Arena in late-season Centennial Conference action. With the win, the Shoremen completed the season sweep of the Fords.
Haverford was paced by Logan Brown, who nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Rookie Christian Uremovich also chipped in 10 points for the Fords. Washington College was led by junior guard Nolan Waldon, who tallied 11 points and a game-high nine steals. Ethan Schwantes posted a game-best 12 points, while senior forward Precieux Tshibangu and junior guard Davis Bland each added 11 points for the visitors.
The Fords came out firing in the first half, jumping out to a 10-3 lead and eventually extending the advantage to 23-13 with 5:20 remaining. Ian Hochman glided through the paint off an assist from Harry Johnson, finishing a layup to give Haverford a 10-point cushion. With an opportunity to extend the lead further, the Fords instead saw Washington College seize momentum, as the Shoremen closed the half on a 6-2 run in what was perhaps a harbinger of the second period. Haverford entered the intermission with a slim 31-26 lead.
The second half belonged to the Shoremen, who opened the frame with a 6-0 run to take their first lead. Although Adam Strong-Jacobson briefly halted the surge with a jumper, Washington College responded with a 9-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Tshibangu, to go up by eight. Waldon then connected from beyond the arc to extend the lead to nine, and after a Ty Woodland layup, the visitors had their first double-digit advantage at 48-36 with nine minutes to play.
Haverford attempted to rally, and did well to keep things within striking distance, cutting the deficit to seven after an Ali Kaan Bek jumper. However, Bland answered with a three-pointer to restore an 11-point lead, and Schwantes followed with four straight points to push the margin to 15. The Fords trimmed the deficit back to 10 in the closing moments, but a Tshibangu put-back dunk with two minutes remaining effectively sealed the game at 60-47.
Washington College found its rhythm from beyond the arc in the second half, sinking five three-pointers after making just one before halftime. The Shoremen outscored the Fords 38-20 after the break.
Haverford struggled offensively in the second half, shooting just 5-of-23 from the field and failing to make a three-pointer. Despite the loss, the Fords dominated the glass, outrebounding the visitors 44-17 with five different players (Brown, Strong-Jacobson, Gaven Marr, Carter Warren, and Derin Ongur) recording five or more boards.
Haverford will now wrap up the 2024-25 season with a trip to rival Swarthmore for a showdown at Tarble Pavilion. With Hood Trophy implications on the line, the Fords and Garnet will tip off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 22.