By Maria Akaras
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College men’s basketball team finished out the regular season last week with two Centennial Conference losses. The Shoremen fell to Haverford College 73-65 on Feb. 18 and to Ursinus College 95-70 on Feb. 21 in Collegeville, Pa. The Shoremen ended the regular season 10-15 overall and 0-13 in conference play.
Wednesday’s home game against Haverford began on a hopeful note as Washington hosted its final home game of the season. Freshman guard David Carr Jr. gave the Shoremen their first lead on a layup with 13:25 remaining in the first half during an 11-5 scoring stretch that put Washington ahead 13-12.
The Shoremen held the lead for much of the remainder of the half. Freshman guard Jon Nalty made back-to-back three-pointers, including one on the final possession before halftime, sending Washington into the locker room with a 37-35 advantage.
In the second half, the balance began to shift. Haverford went on an 18-4 scoring stretch to take a 54-47 lead with just over nine minutes remaining. Sophomore guard Jaedon Harris cut the lead to two with a three-pointer, but the Fords answered with a 13-2 run that extended their lead to 71-58 as the clock began to run out.
The Shoremen scored seven of the final nine points but could not prevent the Fords from securing victory, 73-65. Haverford improved to 8-16 overall and 2-10 in the Centennial Conference, while WC fell to 10-14 and 0-12 at that point in conference play.
Nalty led the Shoremen with 17 points. Harris added 15 points and a game-high five assists. Sophomore forward Max Portnoy collected seven rebounds, and Carr Jr. recorded three steals. Washington shot 39 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range, and 84 percent from the free-throw line.
Next, the Shoremen traveled to Collegeville, Pa. on Saturday to face Ursinus, one of the stronger teams in the conference.
WC kept the game competitive in the early stages. Carr Jr. made a three-pointer just over four minutes in to give the Shoremen a 10-6 lead, and a later layup pushed Washington ahead, 23-21. Ursinus responded by scoring 10 straight points to take a 31-23 lead and went into halftime ahead, 48-37.
Ursinus continued to outscore WC in the second half, 47-33, to complete the 95-70 win. The Bears finished the regular season 17-8 overall and 10-3 in conference play. The loss dropped Washington to its final record of 10-15 overall and 0-13 in the Centennial.
Carr Jr. tied the team’s season high with five three-pointers in the game, matching the most by any Shoreman in a single contest this season. The freshman finished the year shooting 47.7 percent from beyond the arc, the highest three-point percentage on the roster among players who shot regularly from three.
For senior Davis Bland, the game at Ursinus marked the end of his final season in a Shoremen uniform. Bland started all 25 games this season and averaged 5.4 points per game. He is one of two seniors on the roster, alongside guard Ryan Lang, who averaged 5.0 points per game across 24 games this year.
Although the team did not record a conference win, there were still individual accomplishments throughout the season. Nalty led Washington in total points with 283, averaging 11.3 points per game. Portnoy led the team in both rebounds at 5.4 per game and assists at 2.6 per game. As a team, Washington averaged 69.6 points per game and shot 42.2 percent from the field over the course of the season.
The Shoremen now turn their attention to the offseason with several of their leading scorers set to return next year. Four of the team’s top five scorers by points per game (Waldon, Woodland, Harris, and Portnoy) are sophomores, and Nalty is a freshman, giving Washington College a strong foundation to build on for next season.
Photo Caption: Freshman Jon Nalty scored 283 points this season, more than any other Shoreman.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics