Missionaries Withstand Garnet Rush, Win 78-74
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The visiting Whitman (WA) Missionaries put five players in double-digits and withstood a furious Swarthmore rally to win 78-74 on Monday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.
Guard Matt Kelly led Whitman (5-4) with 21 points while forward Erik Kofler contributed 15 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
Junior guard Dillon McGrew scored a career-high 22 points to lead Swarthmore (0-10) in his first game back after a semester abroad. Sophomore forward Ian McCormick put up his third double-double of the season with 17 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Whitman guard Ian Warner opened the scoring with a three-pointer at 19:15 and the Missionaries were able to convert four more triples, establishing a lead as big as thirteen, including a 32-20 advantage with 6:08 left in the first half.
The Garnet rattled off a 11-1 run over the next three minutes to cut Whitman's lead to 33-31 with 3:19 remaining. McGrew got the run started by feeding McCormick for a bucket down low and then, following a Whitman turnover, sank one of his career-best five triples on the day.
Swarthmore tied the game at 38-all as McGrew sank another three-pointer with 1:30 left. Whitman got a lay-up from forward Kyle Born with three seconds remaining to take a 42-38 lead into halftime.
The Missionaries and the Garnet both saw the shooting percentages drop in the second half, as the game drifted to the free throw line. Whitman benefited the most, sinking 17 of 26 (65%) in the second stanza, compared to the Garnet, eight for 15 (53%).
Whitman continued to dominate on the glass in the second half, out rebounding Swarthmore 50-29 for the game.
The Missionaries built another sizable lead in the second half, peaking at 71-58 following a Warner three-pointer with 5:17 remaining. Swarthmore put together one more run at Whitman, clipping off a 14-4 run, fueled by a pair of buckets from sophomore guard Noam Fliegelman and seven of nine from the stripe.
McGrew sank a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to cut the score to 75-74 Whitman. With the shot clock off, Fliegelman fouled Whitman guard Garth Brandal and the Garnet took a time-out hoping to ice Brandal.
The sophomore guard sank both of the free throws and Swarthmore came up court and got a good look at a three-pointer from guard Matt Kurman '08, but the shot bounced off the rim and Kelly corralled the rebound. Swarthmore sent Kelly to the line where the senior made one of two to ice the win.
McGrew's previous high in points (17) and three-pointers (four) occurred on the same night; November 28, 2004 vs. Neumann. The junior shot six for twelve from the field, five for eight from behind the arc, and a perfect five for five from the line. McGrew also drew three charges and handed out three assists.
McGrew became the first Garnet men's basketball player to hit five from deep in Tarble Pavilion since Matt Gustafson '05 did it on Jan. 13, 2003. Kurman hit six triples earlier this year in St. Louis vs. Wisconsin-Lutheran.
Born chipped in 11 points for Whitman, while Warner and Brandal added 10 points apiece.
Swarthmore had three players: junior Chris Casey, sophomore Steve Wolf, and Fliegelman with nine points each.
The Garnet continue non-conference action on Thursday evening, hosting Philadelphia Bible in a 7:00 p.m. contest in Tarble Pavilion.