LANCASTER, Pa. — The Haverford College men's basketball team was defeated in Centennial Conference action inside the Mayser Center on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College, as the host Diplomats came away with an 86-61 victory.
The Diplomats (10-6, 2-2 CC) shot 50.8 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point range while holding the Fords (5-11, 2-2 CC) to 40 percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Haverford was led by Logan Brown with 13 points and four rebounds. Carter Warren poured in 11 points off the bench, including a pair of three-pointers. F&M was led by Kevin Nowoswiat with 22 points and eight rebounds. Vakaris Grauslys added 10 points, five steals, and four assists for F&M.
The Diplomats sprinted out on a 10-2 run to begin the contest, prompting a Haverford timeout with 15:49 remaining in the half. The Diplomats went 4-of-5 from the field in the stretch, while the Fords struggled out of the gates, just 1-of-5 from the field.
Franklin & Marshall extended the lead to 13-2, but a 5-0 run for the Fords was capped by a Carter Warren three-pointer, trimming the lead to six at 13-7 with 12:45 remaining. From that point, the Diplomats then jetted out on another 11-6 spurt, as Josh Parra contributed four points in the stretch to extend the lead to 24-10. The Fords followed with a 9-4 stretch of their own to trim the lead back to single digits, with Adam Strong-Jacobson getting free for a gliding layup and later knocking down a pair of free throws to put the Fords within eight at 27-19.
Warren added his second three-pointer of the half with 3:54 to play, and Derin Ongur later connected on a pair of free throws to whittle the lead to just six at 32-26. Ali Kaan Bek connected from distance, and Logan Brown notched 1-of-2 from the free-throw line as the Fords were within five before Kevin Nowoswiat poured in a layup at the buzzer to put the Diplomats up 39-32 at the intermission.
Haverford came out strong out of the gates, with an electrifying 7-1 run to begin play in the second half. Brown capped the run with a layup that came with 18:43 to play, as suddenly the Fords were back within just one. From that point, F&M was able to gain some separation back, as a 15-6 run restored a 12-point cushion after a layup from Vakaris Grauslys with 13 minutes to play.
The Diplomats continued to thrive from the field, as the lead hit 19 at 72-53 following another Kevin Nowoswiat jumper with 5:01 to play. Brown poured in layups on back-to-back Haverford trips down the court, but Nowoswiat ignited a 7-0 run to help the Diplomats pull away, suddenly up 23 with just 3:20 to play.
Haverford held a 36-34 rebounding advantage, but second-chance points were a highlight for the Diplomats, who added 46 to just 26 for the Fords. Haverford excelled at the free-throw line, shooting 77.3 percent (17 of 22) while the hosts struggled to just 10 of 21 (47.6 percent).
The Centennial Conference slate now continues on Saturday, Jan. 25 as the Fords take on Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. The tip-off for the matinee is slated for 4 p.m.
