The Washington College men's basketball squad was in good shape this past week, defeating two out of three opponents. Senior co-captain Earl Piner hit the 1,000 point career mark as the Shoremen boost their overall record to 10-10 and 3-6 in the Centennial Conference.
Against non-conference foe Villa Julie College, the Shoremen set the rims on fire as five players shot double figures.
Junior guard Aaron Goode had his season high scoring game, putting 16 points on the board for Washington. Finishing with a double-double, junior Ryan Plews scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Piner added 14 points and snagged four rebounds. Washington iced the game with key free-throw shooting from Senior Greg Adams at the end of the game winning 83-74.
Washington then traveled to Swarthmore to avenge a 2OT loss at home last December. Piner led the Shoremen with grace and determination. He scored 17 points and dished five assists, and stunned the Garnet offense with eight rebounds and six blocks.
The Shoremen maintained court dominance and rode home with the win, 93-56.
Senior co-captain Antoine Bellin dropped 14 points and grabbed 11 boards.
Alhamisi Simms and Adams both tallied 19 points on the night.The home court was packed with fans awaiting Piner's big moment. His first shot - a three pointer - put him in the Washington College history books and reserved him a spot on the Cain Gym Banner. Piner is the 29th Shoreman in WC history to reach this mark.
The first half of the game revealed two teams equally matched. The lead was exchanged five times after four ties, but at the half, the Shoremen lead 29-20. WC was able to rely on the sharp eye of Simms who went into halftime with 13 points.
Continuing on their strong stride, Washington increased their lead to as much as 16 points. The Red Devils of Dickinson would not go down easy, however, as they chipped away at their deficit
Pulling a number of fouls, Dickinson took a slight advantage in the latter moments of the game. In the last eight minutes of regulation, WC and the Red Devils tied each other four different times. The final seconds of the game were winding down in a tie.
The dramatic conclusion was heartbreaking for the Shoremen as well as the home crowd. The Red Devils nailed a shot with just one second remaining on the clock. The Shoremen lost 63-61 to Dickinson College.
Simms led all Washington scorers with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Adams added 20 points while Piner ended his historic day with 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks.The Shoremen will travel to Muhlenberg tomorrow for a contest at 3 p.m.
and then return home on Valentine's Day to take on Haverford College at 7:30 p.m.300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782