WASHINGTON — The No. 8 Carthage College men's basketball team fell, 68–57, to No. 15 Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium, closing out their trip to Pennsylvania.

• Final Score: No. 15 Mary Washington 68, No. 8 Carthage 57
• Location: Salvitti Family Gymnasium – Washington, Pa.
• Records: Mary Washington 6-0, Carthage 2-2

• Carthage opened with steady energy on both ends, as Riley Brooks converted a put-back to start the scoring and Ryan Johnson added early free throws to help the Firebirds build a small advantage. 
• Antuan Nesbitt scored in transition to make it 5-2, and Carthage briefly stretched the lead to 11-7 behind a Brooks three-pointer.
• Mary Washington responded immediately, using a pair of threes to make it a 20-16 lead. 
• Carthage battled back behind AJ Johnson's mid-range jumper and Jabe Haith's free throw, tying the game at 20.
• The teams traded baskets repeatedly in a tight, physical first half that featured six ties and nine lead changes. Chris Schlesinger connected from deep to give Carthage a 25-24 edge, and Ryan Johnson converted a late layup to tie the game at 31 heading into halftime.
• Early in the second half, Mary Washington seized momentum as the team put together three straight layups to push the Eagles ahead 37-31. 
• Brooks answered with a three to cut it to 37-34, but UMW continued to attack inside, using an 8-0 burst to make it 45-34.
• Carthage attempted to stay within reach—Brooks canned another three, and Ryan Johnson added a put-back to keep the deficit at single digits.
• Mary Washington extended its lead to 10 with under five minutes remaining and held firm down the stretch, closing out the 68-57 win despite late baskets from Johnson and Brooks.

• Riley Brooks led Carthage with 23 points and 10 rebounds, including three makes from long range.
• Ryan Johnson delivered a double-double of his own with 13 points and 14 rebounds, plus two steals.
• Antuan Nesbitt added six points, while Chris Schlesinger contributed six points and two assists off the bench.

"Appreciate the hospitality and organization from Washington and Jefferson College, along with Ryan Whitnable from the Great Lakes Invitational. This is truly a first-class event, and we are honored to be a part of it. Getting the opportunity to play against two NCAA-type teams early in the season is going to make us better in the long run! 


Obviously, not the results we wanted when we came out here, but we learned a lot about ourselves. We showed flashes of very good basketball, especially in the first half, holding Mary Washington to only 27% from the floor. However, we need to be more consistent on both ends and shoot the ball better!


One more opportunity to get better on Wednesday as we travel out to Ripon for one last road non-conference contest this month."

• The Firebirds are returning to Wisconsin to play against Ripon on Wednesday, November 26, at 5:30 PM.