Hawks Bounce Past Weary Garnet
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Swarthmore's grueling first semester schedule continued on Wednesday night, as the Garnet encountered its second road game in as many nights; this time the opponent was Division I Lehigh. The Hawks (3-6) placed five scorers in double figures on the way to a 96-33 victory in Stabler Arena Wednesday night.
It was the 62nd meeting all-time between the two schools, and the Hawks extended their lead in the overall series to 40-22. The Garnet came into the night short-handed as second-leading scorer Ian McCormick had to miss the game due to a family illness.
Swarthmore senior guard Dillon McGrew opened up the evening with a triple from the top of the arc, giving Swarthmore the early 3-0 lead at 19:05. Lehigh responded with 12 consecutive points from All-Patriot League senior guard Jose Olivero, giving the Hawks a 19-3 lead at 15:21. The run grew to 35-0 before Swarthmore junior guard Noam Fliegelman finished a short jumper in transition at 9:55.
A couple of Garnet freshmen hit from beyond the arc at the end of the half - wing Sean Johnson canned his first collegiate triple at 2:59 and classmate Danny Walker sank one from deep with 45 second left.
The Hawks went into halftime with a 51-14 lead after shooting a scorching 54% from the field. Lehigh's defense limited the Garnet to just 16% from the floor while holding a commanding advantage on the glass (33-9). Olivero led all scorers with 12 points while McGrew paced Swarthmore with six points.
Lehigh continued to hit on all cylinders in the second half, converting Garnet turnovers into fast-break lay-ups while opening up an 82-26 cushion with 7:00 remaining. The Hawks clinched the victory with 61% shooting from the floor and 23 points off turnovers in the second half.
Olivero, who dropped in a career-high 32 points at Notre Dame on Monday, stayed hot against Swarthmore with a 17-point performance on 6-of-7 shooting with four assists in 18 minutes of action. Hawks forward Greg Page posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while Matt Szalachowski chipped in 11 points and four assists.
McGrew led Swarthmore (1-4) with eight points while Johnson and junior Steve Wolf contributed five points apiece.
Swarthmore returns home on Saturday afternoon, facing Centennial foe Franklin & Marshall at 2:00 p.m. in Tarble Pavilion.