HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team (9-8, 5-5) registered a 71-61 victory over visiting Washington College (4-13, 1-9) on Thursday evening inside Gooding '84 Arena, securing another key victory as the Centennial Conference race heats up entering the final stretch of the regular season.
Nate Torres notched 21 points to pace all scorers, making his mark on the contest with four rebounds and three steals, and proving to be a difference maker as the Fords were plus 20 with him on the court on Thursday. Gabriel Franklin had 13 points, as he notched a pair of three-pointers in the final three minutes of first-half action to help Haverford build a 10-point cushion heading into the break. Harry Johnson had another solid contest with nine points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Clay Killoren was another standout off the bench, with five rebounds in his stint.
Hot shooting from beyond the arc was the theme of that first half, with Josh Love and Dhruv Mehrotra also connecting from distance as the Fords built their advantage over Washington College in the early goings. Nate Torres began the second half on a tear, single-handedly frustrating the Shoremen with a 10-0 run in which he scored all the points. Torres connected on a layup with exactly 11 minutes remaining in regulation to put the Fords up by 14 at 53-39, prompting a full timeout from the visitors as they searched for answers to stopping the Illinois product.
With Torres picking up his third foul of the contest and hitting the bench for a stint, Washington College responded with a quick 7-0 spurt, trimming the Haverford lead to just seven with under eight minutes to go in regulation. Torres was reinserted into the game at that juncture, and Harry Johnson immediately connected from beyond the arc to restore a 10-point cushion for the hosts, while the defense forced a turnover on the ensuing possession. Torres pushed the tempo as he connected with a fastbreak layup on the other end, firing up the Haverford bench as the Fords were now up 12 with six minutes and change remaining. Franklin then connected again from deep as the lead again hit 14 with 6:37 to play.
A Nick Kerkorian three pushed the Haverford lead to 15 as Washington forced into chasing the game with 5:40 to go. With veteran leaders like Torres and Jackson Ryan back on the floor for the stretch run, Haverford looked poised, sharing the basketball and finding open looks. Torres helped quell another Washington College spurt with a layup, but the Shoremen found themselves within 10 with 1:06 remaining. The last gasp from the visitors ran out of steam with a pair of last-ditch shots going fruitless Josh Love ended the contest with a steal.
Jason Zielinski led three Washington College players in double figures,, while the visitors also held a slight 33-32 advantage on the glass. The Fords forced their opponents into 17 turnovers.
The Fords have now won five consecutive contests against the Shoremen, including the last three at home inside Gooding '84 Arena. All five of the victories have come via double-digit scoring margins. Haverford returns to action on Saturday, taking on McDaniel at 3 p.m. as the homestand concludes with a matinee. The women's team taking on the Green Terror at approximately 1 p.m. will precede the contest.