Allen Rains From Deep, Garnet Drop Heartbreaker at Ursinus
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore men's basketball team continues to fight each and every opponent to the better end, giving the Centennial-leading Ursinus Bears all they could handle before falling 88-85 in Conference action.
The Garnet slip to 5-12 overall and 1-9 in the Centennial despite 26 points from senior center Ian McCormick (Seattle, Wash. / University Prep) and the best game of sophomore guard Matt Allen’s (Seattle, Wash. / Lakeside) young career (career-highs of 20 points, nine rebounds and six three-pointers). Senior guard Matt Kurman (Rockville, Mary. / Walter Johnson) added 16 points and five assists for Swarthmore.
Ursinus got 27 points and six assists from All-America forward Nick Shattuck (Ardsley, Pa. / LaSalle) and while Matt Hilton (Lewistown, Pa. / Lewistown) added 17 points. John Noonan (Havertown, Pa. / Friends Select) contributed 13 points and seven rebounds.
The game was an evenly matched as the final statistical printout. Both teams shot 45% from the floor, grabbed 40 rebounds, handed out 20 assists and committed 11 turnovers. The determining factor came at the free-throw line where the Bears hit 78% (21 of 27) and Swarthmore could only muster 56% (18 of 32).
And despite tying a season-high with 13 three pointers, the Garnet were unable to slay mighty Ursinus (15-2 overall, 10-0 CC).
A back-and-forth contest unveiled itself in the second half (16 lead changes), with each team attempting to flex its three-point muscles. Kurman and McCormick book-ended a Shattuck free throw with three-pointers to take a 56-50 lead at 14:02.
After a Noonan steal and dunk, Kurman came down and sank another triple. The Bears countered with a three-pointer by guard Kevin McGarvey (Lower Gwynedd, Pa. / Penn Charter) but Kurman found the mark again from behind the arc as Swarthmore led 62-56 with 12:17 to play.
The Bears flipped the game on the Garnet, scoring 20 points in five minutes to take a seven-point lead, 76-69, after two free throws by Shattuck at 5:48. McCormick refused to let Swarthmore quit, scoring five points in an 8-0 to put the Garnet back in front, 77-76 with 3:46 left.
Ursinus countered by putting the ball in the hands of their go-to guy (Shattuck). The lanky senior scored seven points in the last three minutes and the Bears nailed 8 of 9 from the line to keep the Garnet at bay.
Swarthmore came out firing in the first half, displaying accurate shooting from three-point range. The Garnet hit on three of its first five attempts, assuming a 11-5 lead on Allen’s first deep jumper of the afternoon. The Garnet, a bitter opponent for the Bears in each of the past few years in Heffelrich Hall, would build its lead to as many as nine in the first half. Kurman hit a jumper and was fouled, converting the ensuing free throw to put Swarthmore ahead 22-13 at the 9:39 mark.
The Bears, the top offensive team in the Centennial with 76.0 points per game, poured in a flurry of points over the next four and a half minutes to their first lead since the opening bucket. A 15-0, highlighted by a dunk from center Michael Shema (Geneva, Switzerland / Westtown), gave Ursinus a 28-22 advantage with 5:06 to play in the half.
The Garnet fought back to tie the game, 32-32 at 2:55, as Allen drained a trio of three-pointers. Allen’s fifth three-pointer of the half came with 1:15 on the scoreboard, knotting the game at 37-apiece.
Two free throws by Noonan gave Ursinus a 39-37 lead at half.
Allen’s 15 first-half points lead all scorers—Hilton paced the Bears with 11 points while Noonan added 10.
Swarthmore continues its current three-game road trip at long-time rival Haverford this Wednesday, January 30 with an 8:00 p.m. match-up
Click here for the full box score.