Garnet Outlast Dickinson 59-54
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The newcomers stole the show at Tarble Pavilion, as freshmen Will Gates, Eugene Prymak and Jordan Martinez all scored in double-figures as the Swarthmore College men's basketball team (3-11, 2-5) withstood a late Dickinson rally to defeat the Red Devils 59-54 on Thursday evening from Tarble Pavilion.
Martinez finished with a career-high eight assists.
Gates scored 12 points and added five rebounds while Prymak scored a career-high 12 points off the bench. Martinez narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 10 points and a career-high eight assists. The Garnet defense was also impressive, allowing a season-low 54 points and taking the rebounding battle 36-28.
Trevor Kenny scored 19 points - 13 in the second half - and Matt Dolan added 18 points to lead winless Dickinson (0-12, 0-7) all the way back from a 14-point second-half deficit, giving the Red Devils a chance to tie the game in final seconds.
Martinez missed the second of two free-throws with 29 seconds remaining to play, giving Swat a 57-54 lead and the Red Devils a chance to tie the game - a game in which the Garnet led throughout. But Swat's defense stood up to the challenge on the final possession, forcing three-point air balls from Dickinson's Kenny and Dolan in the final moments. Swat senior captain Matt Allen then proceeded to ice the game at the foul line, nailing two free throws with three seconds remaining to give the Garnet the 59-54 win.
While the game was by no means a masterpiece - the teams combined for 52 fouls and 35 turnovers - the Garnet showed flashes of brilliance to start the second half. Up 30-27 at the break, Swat opened the second stanza with an 11-0 run, holding the Red Devils without a point for the first six minutes of the half. All 11 of Swarthmore's points during the run came from the freshmen trio of Gates, Prymak and Martinez, with Gates' jumper at the 16:20 mark giving the Garnet its biggest lead at 41-27.
Prymak scored 12 points off the bench for the Garnet.
But from the there, foul trouble and the inspired play of Dickinson's Kenny would help chip away at the large Garnet lead. Over a six-minute stretch in the second half, Prymak, Gates, junior Sam Lacy and sophomore Marc Rogalski would all pick up their fourth personal fouls, while the Red Devils would surge right back into the game thanks a 15-4 run, cutting the lead to 48-46 with 6:26 left to play. Kenny scored eight of the Red Devil's 15 points during the run - mostly on back-door screens.
Still, the Garnet would never fold, stepping up to the occasion every time the Red Devils had a chance at the tie. Lacy hit a lay-up - thanks to a beautiful pass from Martinez - to kill that rally, extending the rally to 50-46, while Gates hit two free throws with 2:25 left to extend the the Swat lead to 55-50 when the Red Devils threatened again.
The win is the Garnet's third of the season, already matching the 2008-09 season win total. The Garnet also move to 2-3 at home for the season.
Thanks in part to Prymak, the Garnet out-scored Dickinson 17-3 in bench points.
Neither team found much luck from behind the arc, with the Garnet shooting 3-of-17 and Dickinson connecting on just 2-of-15. However, the Red Devils hit of 14-of17 free throws and the Garnet went 15-21 from the stripe in the second half.
The Garnet return to action on Saturday when they go for the season sweep of Ursinus from Collegeville. Action is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.