Rangers Ride Off With Victory
The Garnet rallied from a 12-point deficit to tie the game with 2:14 to play, but the visiting Drew University Rangers scored six of the final eight points for a 64-60 victory on Tuesday night in Tarble Pavilion.
Forward Ian McCormick '08 carried the Garnet (0-3) through the first half as the rest of the team struggled from the floor. The sophomore center hit his first five shots and scored 13 points in the period. But, with the rest of the Garnet cold, the Rangers built a 25-16 lead with 7:54 to play before Swarthmore ended the half on a 14-8 run.
Guard Matt Kurman '08 drew the Garnet within three at 33-30 with a late jumper.
Drew turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, limiting the Garnet to only seven points in the first nine minutes while building a 49-37 lead. Finally, Kurman and forward Steve Wolf '08 got hot and combined to score the team's next 11 points over the next four minutes, cutting the Drew lead to 51-48. Four minutes later, a Kurman free throw tied the game at 58 apiece.
The Garnet had chances to take the lead, but missed three straight from the line, and with 1:02 to play, Drew took the lead when David Cramer rebounded his own miss and laid the ball in.
Wolf missed a jumper on the other end, and Sam Taub made one of two free throws to give Drew a 61-58 lead with 37 seconds remaining. Kurman drove the lane 10 seconds later, and made a leaner to cut the deficit to one. The Rangers' Chris Lopez came back with a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to three.
The Garnet ran a set play and got Kurman a clean look from 25 feet, but the shot clanged off the rim. McCormick was unable to grab the rebound in a crowd of Rangers, and a Lopez free throw iced the game.
Kurman scored 17 points, 13 in the second half, to tie McCormick for the team lead. Wolf contributed 14, making five of six shots after the break. McCormick led with Swarthmore with eight rebounds, while Chris Casey '07 contributed four assists.
David Cramer led the Rangers with 16 points.
Swarthmore opens the Centennial Conference schedule on Sunday, November 27, travelling to Franklin and Marshall for a 4:00 p.m. game.