SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team played rival Swarthmore on Wednesday night in a battle for the top spot in the Centennial Conference standings. The Fords (11-3, 6-1 CC) and Garnet (14-0, 7-0 CC) entered the night as the final two undefeated teams in conference play. In the end, it was No. 1 Swarthmore that proved worthy of its national ranking as the Garnet came away with a 71-53 victory.
Swarthmore got out to the early advantage on hot three-point shooting as the Garnet were 8-of-11 from beyond the arc in the opening half and finished the contest shooting 50% both from the field and on three-pointers. Four Garnet starters finished with double figure scoring totals while the Fords were paced by 11 points from Joe Wujciak and 10 more from Jesse Turkson.
The hot start from the Garnet began right from the opening tip as Swarthmore hit treys during each of its first three possessions. Down 13-4 in the early minutes, the Fords pulled back within two points thanks in part to a pair of three-pointers from Nate Torres, who finished the night with nine points. Torres would later complete an old-fashioned three-point during the second half.
After holding Swarthmore to just one basket during that four-plus minute run, the Garnet found their offensive traction again during an extended 19-5 run which stretched the lead to 21 points, 42-21. Haverford took some momentum into its locker room as the Fords closed the half on a 7-0 run that featured four points from Jack Cork and another three-pointer from Joe Hartman. Nevertheless, the visiting Fords were faced with a 42-28 deficit heading into the second half.
Unfortunately for the Fords, that 14-point deficit was the closest they came the rest of the way as the Garnet limited Haverford to just nine field goals in the second half en route to the Centennial Conference victory. Haverford did finish the contest with a 9-2 advantage in second chance points while the Fords' bench outscored the Garnet by a 26-16 margin.
Men's basketball will look to return to its winning form this Saturday, January 18 as the Fords trek to McDaniel for a 2 p.m. start against the Green Terror. Tonight's first of two regular season contests with the Garnet also decided half a point in the Hood Trophy race. The women's team defeated Swarthmore by a 73-42 score as Haverford now holds a 4.5-2.5 lead in the annual competition.