RICHMOND, Ind. – The Hanover men's basketball team dropped a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference road test at Earlham on Saturday despite a career afternoon from senior Kevin Williams (Edinburgh, Ind.), 81-69.

The Blue and Red fell to 15-6 overall on the year and 9-5 in conference action. Williams netted a career-high 30 points with four rebounds. Senior Logan Ratts (Martinsville, Ind.) and junior Mark Albers (Pendleton, Ind.) chipped in nine points apiece.

After falling behind early in the first half, senior Blake Robertson (Greenfield, Ind.) looked to spark the offense with a three-pointer at the 18:00 minute mark that surged a 12-0 run. The hot streak continued for the Blue and Red as junior Connor Washburn (Fishers, Ind.) hit a duce in the paint that gave HC the 16-13 advantage.

However, Earlham remained poised and would tie the contest at the midway point 16-16 with a deep ball of their own. The back-and-forth battle carried late into the half as a pair of free throws from Kevin Williams and a junior Isaac Hibbard (New Albany, Ind.) layup cut the halftime deficit to 31-29.

The Panthers concluded the opening half shooting just 12-of-28 (.429) from the field with one made three-pointer. They pulled in 18 rebounds, including 14 defensive boards.

The second half saw the Quakers lead by as much as four in the opening minutes when Ratts capped off a short run that propelled Hanover back in front 43-42 with 13:23 remaining. But the excitement didn't last long as the Quaker hot shooting continued with back-to-back scores that saw another lead change. Earlham pushed the difference to 59-54 following a pair of free throws and a deep ball with just 7:26 to play.

The Panthers staged a comeback with just under five minutes to play as freshman Ty Houston (Union, Ky.) hit a three-pointer and Kevin Williams connected for back-to-back layups pulling HC within 67-63. With just under three minutes to play, Earlham completed the season sweep using an 8-0 run to capture the lead and the victory, 81-69.

The Blue and Red return to action on Wednesday, February 12 as they welcome Anderson to Collier Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 P.M.