Cold-Shooting Garnet Downed By Widener 66-44
CHESTER, Pa. – Widener’s B.J. Smith scored a game-high 11 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to lead a balanced scoring attack that saw 12 different players score as the Pride defeated the Swarthmore College men’s basketball team 66-44 in non-conference action on Monday night from Widener University.Junior Ryan Carmichael led the Garnet (1-6, 1-1) with nine points, while freshman Ramsey Walker had a team-high five rebounds and junior Sam Lacy chipped in with three blocks.
Coming off its impressive victory over Ursinus on Saturday, the Garnet struggled in a road contest with a talented Pride squad that has advanced to the Division III NCAA Tournament the past four seasons.
Thanks to a full-court press from the opening whistle, Widener (6-2, 1-0) sped up the tempo of play and threw the normally patient Garnet offense out of rhythm, creating 11 first-half Swarthmore turnovers and holding the Garnet to 25.9% shooting for the first-half. The Pride used a 14-0 run in the first 10 minutes to build a 16-5, not letting the Garnet get within single digits for the remainder of the half.
For the game, the Garnet finished shooting a season-low 28.6% and were outscored 15-2 in points off turnovers.
Despite the early deficit, the Garnet had chances to get back into the game, but poor free-throw shooting (4-of-15) and 11 offensive rebounds for the Pride killed any chance of the comeback. The Pride extended the lead to 22 points with 4:53 remaining in the first half and entered the half with a 38-19 lead.
It was more of the same in the second half, as Widener built the lead to as many as 25 points en route to the 66-44 final.
For the game, the Pride finished with a 48-32 edge in rebounds while outscoring the Garnet 34-21 in bench points and 24-10 in points in the paint.
The Widener defense did an excellent job of shutting down reigning Centennial Conference Performer of the Week freshman Will Gates, who was limited to just five points and did not score until the 18:28 mark of the second half.
Despite the loss, Swarthmore maintains a 5-4 lead in the inaugural "320 Challenge."
Swarthmore returns to Centennial Conference action on Wednesday when it travels to Washington College. Play is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m.