Gettysburg Edges Swarthmore
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Visiting Gettysburg shot 15 for 18 from the free throw line in the second half to nip Swarthmore 52-49 in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Thursday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.
Swarthmore junior center Ian McCormick had a strong game in the post, putting up his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Seattle, Wash. native hit 6 of 8 from the line and 6 of 14 from the floor while also picking up five blocks.
Corey Dorsey led Gettysburg with 17 points, including a perfect 8 of 8 at the line, with seven rebounds and five blocks.
The Bullets (4-9 overall, 2-5 CC) blocked three Swarthmore shots in the final minute and scored on a backdoor lay-up by senior Brian Sateja with 24 seconds left. The Garnet came up the floor looking for a quick bucket but the Bullets' Joe Speirenburg swatted another shot, his sixth of the game, and Swarthmore was forced to foul.
Gettysburg guard Dan Capkin, a 73% free throw shooter coming into the game, missed both shots with four second left and Swarthmore rushed up the floor with a chance to tie. Speedy Garnet guard Chris Casey found Matt Kurman on the left wing - the junior took one dribble and launched from 25 feet. Unfortunately for Swarthmore, the shot rimmed out as the horn sounded and the Bullets left campus with the win.
The Bullets clawed through a grueling first half, building an eight-point lead with 2:36 to go after a three-pointer from Corey Dorsey. Swarthmore freshman guard Matt Allen sank an off-balance three-pointer with seconds remaining to cut Gettysburg's lead at halftime to 22-17.
Dorsey led all scorers with nine points at the break while McCormick paced the Garnet with six points. The two teams combined to shoot just 16 for 60 (26.7%) and were dead-even on the boards with 22 apiece.
The offense picked up in the second half with Gettysburg pushing its lead back to nine, 28-19, following a Capkin triple at 15:30. Swarthmore began to knock down shots, both on the floor and at the line, opening up a 13-4 run that tied the game at 32-32 after a Matt Turner jumper in traffic at 10:54.
The contest was tied four different times in the next four minutes. Swarthmore junior forward Steve Wolf banked in a shot at 6:25 and then stole the ball. Allen finished off the possession with a huge three-pointer from the wing and the Garnet now led 45-40 at 5:53. Two more free throws by Allen at 4:37 kept the Swarthmore lead at five.
Six straight free throws by Gettysburg put the visitors up one, 50-49, setting up another riveting Centennial finish in the final minute.
Allen finished with eight points in just 11 minutes while Kurman added seven points and two assists.
The Garnet travel to Lancaster, Pa. this Saturday to take on Franklin & Marshall at 4:00 p.m. Swarthmore will return home on Wed., Jan. 17 when historical rival Haverford comes to Tarble for a 8:00 p.m. game.