Terror Trip Up Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- A physical Centennial battle swung the visitors way in Tarble Pavilion Wednesday night, as McDaniel defeated Swarthmore 70-64 in men's basketball action.
Swarthmore slipped to 5-15 overall and 1-12 in the Centennial despite a game-high 24 points from senior center Ian McCormick (Seattle, Wash. / University Prep).
The Green Terror improved to 13-7 overall and 8-5 in the Conference after getting a team-high 18 points from guard T.J. Odunlami (Columbia, Mary. / Atholton). Freshman guard Kevin Henry (Potomac, Mary. / Bullis School) added 14 points while forward Chris Prior (Westminster, Mary. / Westminster) contributed a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
A 1-5 McDaniel run turned a one-point deficit into a five-point lead after two free throws by Prior at the 15:49.
The Garnet battled back, re-claiming the lead mid-way through the second half. Freshman guard Ryan Carmichael (Portland, Maine / Portland) sank a high-arching jumper from the top of the key at 9:20 and sophomore guard Matt Allen (Seattle, Wash. / Lakeside) found McCormick streaking down the wing. The senior center scored the fast-break lay-up at 9:01, putting Swarthmore in front 53-52.
McDaniel rattled off the next seven points to build a 59-53 lead after Prior’s turnaround in the lane, but a McCormick jumper off the window and a deep three-pointer by Garnet senior guard Matt Kurman (Rockville, Mary. / Walter Johnson) made it a one-point affair (59-58 Green Terror) with 5:42 to play.
Another Kurman jumper brought Swarthmore within two points, 66-64 at 1:59, but the Green Terror defense (ranked second in the Centennial while allowing only teams 61.9 points per contest) held the Garnet scoreless to snap a two-game Conference losing streak.
With his first point of the night, McCormick became the first Swarthmore male to accumulate 1,400 points and 700 rebounds—the senior now has 1,424 markers to rank in the top-20 all-time in the Centennial Conference.
Swarthmore struggled to get going early on as McDaniel built a 14-7 lead after two free throws by Odulnami at 13:45. McCormick’s reverse lay-up got Swarthmore within 14-9 at 12:13.
Garnet got the deficit to four points with a triple by forward Raul Ordonez (Miami, Fla. / Belen Jesuit) at 8:34.
Odunlami picked apart the Garnet defense in the first half, hitting on 5-of-8 from the floor for a team-high 12 points.
McCormick hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the first half, closing the gap to one, 32-31, with 2:40 left in the half. A tough leaner by freshman Sam Lacy (Jericho, Vt. / Jericho) gave the Garnet their first lead of the night (35-34) with 21 seconds left in the first half.
The Garnet continue their brief home-stand with a 4:00 p.m. Centennial game this Saturday, February 9 with Dickinson College.
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