Fords Win Ice Bowl Over Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet swingman Ryan Carmichael bucked a trend Wednesday evening, hitting a career-high four three-pointers as Swarthmore lost the battle of futility to rival Haverford, 43-40, in cold Tarble Pavilion.
A sluggish game for the first 30 minutes, the noise in Tarble Pavilion rolled up to a low roar after a kicked basketball woke up the Swarthmore fans, scattering those sitting in the front row. Garnet elder statesman, Raul Ordonez ‘09 (Miami, Fla. / Belen Jesuit), answered with a leaner in traffic, cutting the deficit to two points, 34-32. A free throw by Sam Lacy ’11 (Jericho, Vt. / Mount Mansfield) and an offensive put-back by Ordonez surged Swarthmore into the lead, 35-34, with just over five minutes left and the Swarthmore faithful was at full-throat.
The Haverford students answered in turn, as sophomore forward Sam Permutt calmly sank an elbow jumper at 4:25, putting the Fords ahead once more.
Back and forth the old and bitter rivals went. A Carmichael jumper tied it at 38-38 but Alex Schwada drove to the rim and converted a three-point play to give the Fords a 41-38 advantage with 3:04 showing on the clock.
Empty possessions ensued on the either end before two Carmichael free throws made it a one-point game for the umpteenth time of the night. The Fords had an unfortunate turnover when senior guard Greg Rosnick cramped up and lost the ball out of bounds. His teammates responded by drawing a charge on the Swarthmore offensive side.
Possessing the ball and the lead, the Fords called timeout with 26 seconds left. With 15 ticks remaining, Permutt found forward David Nowacki open on a backcourt cut for the clinching basket. A Swarthmore desperation three-pointer fell short and the Fords ran its win streak over the Garnet to four in a row.
Rest easy, Garnet fans: Swarthmore still holds a sizeable edge in the overall series (90-65). Statistically speaking, Wednesday’s edition of the rivalry is not a work of art (the teams combined for the lowest point total since 1981-82), but there was no mistaking the emotion spilling forth on the white maple floor of Tarble.
Carmichael (Portland, Maine / Portland) tied his career-best with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Ordonez added seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Lacy blocked five shots for the second time this season.
Permutt led the Fords (8-9, 5-6 CC) with 12 points and five assists while Nowacki hit 5-of-7 from the floor for 10 points to go along with a team-high eight boards.
The 155th meeting between the historic rivals began at a snail’s pace, with a triple by junior guard Swarthmore Matt Allen (Seattle, Wash. / Lakeside) giving the Garnet a 5-4 lead almost seven minutes into the game.
Fords’ guard Matt Palmer responded a minute later with a high-arcing triple of his own for a 7-5 lead. The slushy conditions froze and so did the shooting in Tarble Pavilion, with neither team scoring again until Haverford senior Ben McDowelll sank a lay-up at 9:26.
Carmichael got the Swarthmore offense moving with consecutive triples to tie the game at 11-all. His third three-pointer of the half put the Garnet back in front, 14-13, with six minutes left in the first half.
True to form, the Fords walked up the floor and sank a three of their own. This time it was guard Ian Goldberg.
Permutt’s lay-up and successful foul shot thrust the momentum to Haverford’s side and showed a 21-18 lead. Swarthmore’s bombers struck again as freshman post Marc Rogalski (Franklin Lakes, N.J. / Bergen Catholic) hit a rainbow three to tie the game up at 21-all.
The tie lasted into the intermission as the teams combined to shot a chilly 29% (16 for 55). Two different styles developed with the Fords owning the paint (14-0 point advantage) while Swarthmore found the mark of five three-pointers, Carmichael posted three of the triples, leading Swarthmore with nine points while Permut paced the Fords with seven points.
The Garnet conclude a recent four-game home stand this Saturday when Franklin & Marshall visits Tarble Pavilion for a Centennial Conference doubleheader. The men will follow the women’s game, tipping at approximately 3:00 p.m.
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