Athletics News

GAME BOX SCORE

Swarthmore junior guard Matt Kurman hit four first-half triples and four Garnet finished with double-figure scoring totals as Swarthmore held off visiting Washington, 67-57 on Senior Night.

The win moves the Garnet to 11-13 overall, 8-9 in the Centennial Conference.  After Muhlenberg's overtime win over Dickinson, the Garnet will need a win at Haverford and a Mules' loss at Ursinus on Saturday to claim the CC's fifth and final playoff spot.

Junoior forward Ian McCormick scored points 1,000 and 1,001 on a lay-up with 7:06 remaining in the game.  The junior is the sixteenth player in program history to reach that milestone, and the seventh to do so while also grabbing 500 career rebounds.

Before the game, Swarthmore honored seniors Alan Walsh, Mark Rohde, Dillon McGrew, and captain Chris Casey.  Head coach Lee Wimberley described all four as exceptionally selfless, team-first players who will be missed by the program in the coming years.  Walsh tipped a pair of offensive rebounds to his teammates in the early going, McGrew nailed a trey, Rohde grabbed six boards in 18 minutes, and Casey hit two huge buckets while playing 37 steady minutes at the point-guard position.

The Garnet defense was in fine form in the early going, keeping the Shoremen off the scoreboard for the first 8:32.  It was 7-0, Swarthmore with 11:28 to go when Washington's Todd Green hit from downtown, sparking a 13-0 run that ended with a conventional three-point play by Tim Kohlrus with 7:55 remaining.

But Kurman stopped the run cold with his first trifecta on the ensuing possession, and McCormick followed with buckets in the paint on Swarthmore's next two trips, putting the hosts back in front 14-13.  Two lead changes and two ties ensued before, with the score 21-19 Washington, the Garnet went on an 11-2 run to end the half.  Junior Steve Wolf got things going with an and-one, Kurman followed with a pair of triples, and Wolf hit a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left to close out the first-period scoring.

McCormick picked up his third foul 1:27 into the second period and exited in favor of sophomore Raul Ordonez, who immediately stretched the lead to nine with a jumper and would wind up playing 17 minutes in the half and finished the game just shy of his first career double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.  The sophomore also helped hold Washington star senior Joey Breslin to 38% shooting from the floor (7 of 18).

Ordonez's shot gave the Garnet their largest lead to that point, 36-27, but the Shoremen reeled off the next eight points, led by a lay-up and a three-ball by guard Andrew Chambers.  A few minutes later, Scott Hampton found Breslin for a lay-up, giving the visitors a 41-40 lead with 10:47 to play.

Slowly, Swarthmore re-took command.  Two McCormick free throws put the hosts back on top, and a Matt Allen '10 trey increased the lead to four.  Breslin hit again, but Allen hit one of two free throws after a Washington technical foul and Ordonez scored a lay-up to make it 50-43 with 8:30 left.

The Shoremen kept fighting; Kohlrus canned a jumper to make it a one-possession game at 54-51 with 5:34 on the clock.  Ordonez hit another layup on the ensuing possession, and then both teams went ice-cold.  Over three minutes passed before Swarthmore prepared to inbound the ball with 2:06 to go and just three seconds on the shot clock.

Casey in-bounded the ball, got it right back, and leaned into a three-point attempt over a mass of bodies.  The ball swished through the net, igniting the crowd and pumping the lead back to eight at 59-51; it would not again go below six.  Ordonez and Allen hit a pair of free throws each in the final minute to seal the deal.

Kurman finished with a team-high 14 points, while McCormick chipped in 12, Wolf 11, and Ordonez 10.  Ordonez's nine boards led the way; Wolf grabbed seven and McCormick and Rohde six each as Swarthmore finished the night with a 43-30 rebounding edge.

Kohlrus led the visitors with 18 points; Breslin added 16.

Everything is on the line for the Garnet on Saturday at Haverford.  The Department of Athletics in encouraging fans to head over to the Main Line and create a sea of white shirts at the Gooding Athletic Center.  Game time is 2:00 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa.-- Swarthmore junior forward Karen Berk scored a season-high 30 points and classmate Laura Popovics added a season-high 15 points as the Garnet fell to visiting Washington (Md.) 74-62 on Senior Night in Tarble Pavilion. 

The Shorewomen (12-12 overall, 6-11 CC) enjoyed a 61-28 rebounding advantage, led by junior Elise Conway's 17 boards.  Senior guard LaToya Turner put in a team-high 15 points while freshman Melissa Joseph scored a career-high 13 points in 15 minutes of action. 

The Garnet women's basketball team honored the two seniors, captain Jess Fuhr and forward Sam Graffeo, with a pre-game ceremony full of flowers and balloons.

Washington led throughout, shooting 40% from the field to build a 38-33 lead at the intermission.  Berk sparkled in the first half for Swarthmore, hitting 7 of 9 from the floor for 17 points.  Popovics nailed three triples in the first 20 minutes for 11 first-half points to go along with three steals.

Turner provided the firepower for the Shorewomen, nailing 6 of 9 for 12 points—Turner nailed two fade-away jumpers from the same spot as Washington finished the half on a 6-3 spurt.

 The Shorewomen used a 12-5 run at the start of the second half to push their lead to 50-38 with 15:21 to play.  Washington used 13 offensive rebounds in the second half to secure its first win over Swarthmore since 1999, a span of 13 games.

Brianne Slizofski scored 11 points for the Shorewomen while Brenda Lucas added 10 points and six rebounds.

Berk finished the night 12 of 18 from the floor and 6 of 10 from the free throw line to hit the 30-point total for the second time in her career (career-best is 33 points, scoring vs. Haverford on Feb. 18, 2006).  Berk picks up her Centennial-leading 17th double-double of the season and the 26th straight game she has reached double-digits.   She is just the fourth Centennial player to hit the 30-point plateau in 2006-07.

Swarthmore concludes the 2006-07 season this Saturday, Feb. 17 at rival Haverford.  Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., following the men's game.

FULL 2007 CENTENNIAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW (pdf)

The Swarthmore swimming teams continue their successful 2006-07 season this coming weekend, Feb. 16-18, at the 14th annual Centennial Conference Swimming Championships in Lancaster, Pa.  held at the Kunkel Aquatics Center on Franklin & Marshall's campus.

The Centennial Conference and Franklin & Marshall will be entering a new era in small college sports coverage, offering a live video stream of the entire CC Championships.  Fans can log on by clicking here or pulling up the link on either of the swim teams' schedule pages.  Quicktime Player (free download) is required for viewing. Tickets for the event are $3 for trials, $5 for finals or $15 for an all-sessions pass.  Youth 12 and under and students from the participating institutions with a valid ID will be admitted free.  Friday's sessions begin at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., while the weekend sessions begin at 10:30 and 6:30.

John Heagy '08 is one of the favorites in the 200 and 400 IM.

The Garnet men (7-2 overall, 6-0 Centennial) captured the first Centennial dual meet title in school history, led by seniors Jason Horwitz (freestyle sprints), Andrew Koczo (breaststroke), and Jonathan Augat (freestyle sprints, as well as juniors John Heagy (IM), Andrew Frampton (distance freestyle) and sophomores Stephen Shymon (distance freestyle/IM/backstroke), Douglas Gilchrist-Scott (backstroke), and freshman Michael Ann (middle distance freestyle).  The Swarthmore 800 freestyle relay team is the top seed on this year's psyche sheets, with the 200 freestyle relay, 200 IM relay (bronze medal winners in 2006) and 400 IM relay (silver medalists in 2006) all seeded second.  Click on this link (pdf) to see the entire 2007 CC Men's Swimming Championship psyche sheet. 

One race to watch closely is the 500 freestyle where Frampton and Shymon will look to chase down F&M's All-American junior Derek Nowak.  Shymon set the school record (4:42.80) in this event--in the same pool--in last year's championship yet Nowak out-swam the Swarthmore sophomore went the pair locked horns in a dual meet on Nov. 11, 2006 in Ware Pool.

Senior Janice Yeo looks to lead Swarthmore to its third Centennial Championship.

The Swarthmore women (7-3 overall, 6-1 CC) gamely fought their way to a share of the Centennial dual meet title with F&M and Gettysburg.  It is the first time the Garnet women have sat atop the Centennial at the end of the regular season and Swarthmore will look to pick up its third Centennial Championship this weekend.  The Garnet women won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 after taking second place the previous five years.  Swarthmore is led by seniors Sarah Cotcamp (freestyle sprints) and Janice Yeo (breaststroke), as well as first-years Anne Miller (distance freestyle/butterfly) and Casey Osborn (buttefly/IM).  Cotcamp is one of the favorites to take the 50 yard freestyle, having posted the top time in the Centennial this season (25.02).  Miller broke the school record in the 1000 freestyle in her first race and has the third-best Centennial time in the 1650.  Miller and Osborn will look to run down the favorite in the butterfly events, Gettysburg senior Kelly Landman, as Swarthmore seeks its third Centennial championship.  Click here for the 2007 Centennial Championship psyche sheets.

--thanks to Centennial Conference Executive Secretary Steve Ulrich and Franklin & Marshall Sports Information Director Steve Peed for providing information

Coming off of a season in which team records fell left and right, Garnet softball is setting its sights on a bigger prize: a Centennial Conference championship.

2006 saw Swarthmore break the school record for victories (23) and win their first ever Centennial playoff game.  Everybody contributed to the 13-win improvement over 2005--returning players made great strides and all four freshmen played key roles.  Seven offensive starters and the entire pitching staff return in 2007, and six newcomers will challenge for playing time and bolster the squad's depth.

Christine Sendelsky '09 became the first Swarthmore freshman to make First Team All-Centennial in 2006.

Leading the way on offense will be 2006 All-Centennial first-team infielder Christine Sendelsky '09 (Edison, NJ \ John P. Stevens).  Sendelsky, the first Garnet freshman to make All-CC first team, finished fifth in the Centennial in batting average (.395) and first in extra-base hits (19).  Her four home runs equaled the team record help by Michelle Walsh '98 and Mary Mintel '05.  While hitting .500 through 15 games, Sendelsky provided plenty of early-season excitement, signaling to the campus community and alumnae that a new era of Garnet softball was underway.

The rest of the 2006 Garnet infield will also be back for the coming season.  Five-hole hitter and shortstop Katherine Gold '08 (Cherry Hill, NJ \ Cherry Hill East) enjoyed a very consistent 2006 and finished with a .385 average and team-high totals of 34 RBI and 85 defensive assists.  Holding down the hot corner all season long was Melissa LaVan '07 (Deerfield, IL \ Deerfield), a strong defender who put up a .351 on-base percentage while striking out just six times in 117 plate appearances.  First base has been the exclusive property of senior Kelly Siano (Fort Collins, CO \ Poudre) since she arrived on campus three seasons ago.  Siano has steadily improved at the plate, raising her batting average 37 points in 2005 and 74 points last year all the way to .333.  The senior socked two home runs in 2006 and will return for her second season as a team captain in 2007.

Plenty of offensive muscle also returns to the Swarthmore outfield.  Centerfielder Lauren Walker (Fallston, MD \ The Hotchkiss School) and leftfielder Kristin Caspar (Briarcliff Manor, NY \ Briarcliff), now sophomores, were both in the starting lineup from game one last season and combined to hit .293, score 58 runs, and steal 13 bases in 2006.  It was Caspar's game-winning single over Gettysburg on April 15th that gave the squad its school-record 17th win of the season.  Outfielder/designated player Dahlia Perez '08 (Fairfield, CT \ Hopkins School) came on strong late and finished with a .345 average and .433 OBP in 26 appearances, including three hits off 2006 Centennial Pitcher of the Year Mallory Greene of Ursinus.

All three hurlers return from the pitching staff that cut its earned run average (ERA) by nearly two runs in 2006.  While Sendelsky was wowing fans with her offensive heroics, classmate Alexandra Zelaski (Middleburg Heights, OH \ Midpark) was doing the same from the mound.  When she was named both the Centennial and the ECAC South Region Pitcher of the Week on April 3, Zelaski was fourth in the Centennial in ERA (1.76) and fifth in strikeouts (59) on her way to a 7-2 record.  Zelaski finished the year at 11-6 with a 2.11 ERA and 3.12 strikeout per walk (K/BB) ratio and has clearly emerged as one of the top pitchers in the Centennial.

Senior Marianne Klingaman heads a Garnet staff that dropped its ERA by two runs in 2006.

After a slow start in 2006, Marianne Klingaman '07 (Columbia, MD \ Centennial) got hot in time to dominate the Centennial Conference, posting a 4-2 record and 1.63 ERA in conference play.  Swarthmore's top hurler in 2004 and 2005, Klingaman will team with Zelaski to give to give the 2007 squad one of the conference's finest 1-2 punches on the mound; the senior also hit .278 with a home run in limited action at the plate, giving fourth-year head coach Renee Clarke another option in the late innings.  Also toeing the rubber in 2007 will be Emily Walz '08 (Dayton, OH \ Oakwood), who came up with a number of big wins in '06 and finished with a solid 3.33 ERA and 56 strikeouts in just 69.1 innings pitched (IP).

Swarthmore graduated a program legend in 2006, catcher Christina Procacci, who was one of the Centennial's finest table-setters (.460 OBP) and defense players (threw out a league-high 10 base runners).  Poised to replace her is first-year Michelle Perch (Kinnelon, NJ \ Kinnelon).

Two other first-years will also join the squad.  Monica Cody (Torrance, Calif. \ Marymount) will look to contribute as a utility player, while Kathryn Riley (Dagsboro, N.J. \ Indian River) has experience both on the mound and in the outfield.  The team also welcomes back a pair of seniors, Ashley Brandt (Lock Haven, PA \ Central Mountain) and Julie Monaghan (Wynnewood, PA \ Penn Charter), both of whom saw significant action as first-years back in 2004, as well as sophomore Stephanie Sampedro (Hackensack, NJ \ Hackensack).

Swarthmore's season opener is scheduled for March 1 at 3:00 vs. DeSales, with another home doubleheader following on March 6 vs. Alvernia before the team's annual spring trip to Savannah, GA, where the team will play six games in preparation for the Centennial season that starts on April 5 at Ursinus.

The 2007 season opens with unprecedented promise for the Swarthmore softballers.  It promises to be an exciting year on Clothier Fields!

After a sluggish 2006 campaign in which the team posted a 4-10 overall record and managed just one win in the Centennial Conference (one of the toughest in Division III men's lacrosse) the 2007 Swarthmore men's lacrosse team is looking to rebound.. The team is stacked with experienced veterans as well as a solid defense to fuel the turnaround.

Senior midfielder Jay Charles led the Garnet with 17 goals in 2006.

The Garnet will be led by midfielder Jay Charles '07 (Chadds Ford, Pa. / Tatnall School), a second-year captain and the leading goal-scorer in 2006. Charles tallied 17 goals last season, shooting a team-best 34.7% and while winning 51.2% of his face-offs.  Charles got off to hot start in 2006 with his first career hat-trick, including the game-winner, to lead the Garnet to a 8-7 triple-overtime win at Goucher.  Two games later, Charles pumped in four goals in a 15-4 blowout of Richard Stockton.  He added another hat-trick vs. Dickinson on April 15.

Swarthmore will also look for increased offensive production from attack Stelios Wilson '09 (Moorestown, N.J. / Moorestown), who put together an impressive freshman campaign with 12 goals and seven assists--he tied Charles for the team-lead in points (19). Senior midfielders Gavin Nurick '07 (Wilton, Conn. / Phillips Exeter Academy (N.H.))--13 goals in 2006--and Ryan McKenna '07(Oakdale, N.Y. / Connetquot)--team-leader with nine assists, are vital cogs in the Garnet attack.  Midfielders Adam Miller '08 (Freehold, N.J. / Freehold Township), second on the team with 41 ground balls, and Todd Friedman '09 (Coral Gables, Fla. / Miami-Palmetto) will also be relied upon for necessary offensive firepower.

On the other end of the field, junior captain and goalkeeper Frank Mazzucco (Redding, Conn. / Joel Barlow) serves as the anchor of the Garnet defense.  Mazzucco has started all 28 games he has dressed in a Swarthmore uniform, recording a goals-against average of 8.50 and 55.7 % save percentage in 2006.  Mazzucco's quick hands kept Swarthmore in many games, including a 17-save effort in a 7-5 win at Franklin & Marshall.

Junior goalie Frank Mazzucco has started all 28 games in his career.

Playing in front of Mazzucco will be captain Anthony Orazio '07 (Farfield, Conn. / Fairfield), Richard Jaronczyk '07 (Manhasset, N.Y. / Manhasset) and juniors Danny Sartori (Darien, Conn. / Darien) and Drew Bonessa (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shady Side Academy).  Orazio led the Garnet with 52 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers while Bonessa listed third on the squad with 40 ground balls.   The experienced long-poles look to improve upon the 8.40 goals-against average (fourth-best in the conference) and 6.79 caused turnovers per game.

Swarthmore will have its work cut out for them; this year's Centennial Conference looks to be as strong as in past years. Last year three of the nine teams in the conference, # 2 Gettysburg, # 9 Washington (Md.) and #15 Dickinson, finished 2006 in the top-15 of the final the Division III USILA-STX Coaches Poll. The Garnet battled then third-ranked Gettysburg closely, falling 7-4 in Gettysburg, Pa. as Mazzucco posted 10 saves.

The Garnet open the season at home on March 3, welcoming Goucher for a 1:00 game on Clothier Field. Swarthmore defeated Goucher 8-7 in three overtimes in last season's opener in Towson, Mary.  The Garnet will travel to Yale University on March 17th, facing Amherst at 12:00 p.m. and then return to Philadelphia to open up Centennial action with a home game vs. Ursinus on March 21 at 7:00 p.m.

COMPLETE RESULTS

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore senior Jon Reiss picked up his first win of the spring season as the 23rd-ranked Garnet (0-2) dropped a close match to Division-I St. Joseph's 4-3 Sunday afternoon in the Michael Mullan Tennis Center.

The Hawks (3-1) claimed the doubles point at the start of the afternoon, sweeping all three matches in the process.

Reiss, the 11th-ranked singles player in the Atlantic South region, made few mistakes while displaying a lethal backhand slice to maintain command throughout the entire match.  Reiss, who posted 2-1 record vs. Division-I opponents in 2006 playing at No. 2, won today 6-1, 6-1 over Matt Glasgow from St. Joseph's at the No. 1singles spot.

Swarthmore's Shingo Murata '07 also tallied his first win of 2007, dispatching the Hawks' Matt Prusack 7-5, 6-1 at No. 5 while Garnet freshman Willy Nolan used some strong forehands to ring up  a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Michael Stauble at No. 6 singles.

The Garnet, ranked 23rd in all of Division III in the latest ITA FILA rankings, will entertain their first Division III opponent of the season this Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2:00 p.m.  New York University, ranked 12th in the Northeast region, comes to campus for its first competition of the spring semester.

COMPLETE MEN'S RESULTS

COMPLETE WOMEN'S RESULTS

BOSTON, Mass. -- Nyika Corbett '10 continued her strong start at Swarthmore, this time breaking the indoor mile record as the Swarthmore indoor track and field team competed at the annual Valentine Invite at Boston University Friday and Saturday.

Corbett narrowly missed setting the mile record at the Jack Pyrah Invitational on December 1, running a 5:17.16.  On Saturday, the freshman dropped more than a full second off that time, completing the race in 5:16.02 to best the previous record set by Sarah Hobbs '05 at the 2005 Valentine Invite (5:16.65).

Sophomore Cait Mullarkey continued her strong indoor season, posting a personal-best time of 2:19.14 at 800 meters.

The men ran on Friday --senior Vernon Chaplin was the seventh Division III runner to finish the 3,000 meter race was 69th overall out of 165 runners from Division I, II and III with a time of 8:45.53 (just missed a personal-best).  Teammate Ross Weller ran 96th with a sparkling time of 8:53.51(just off his personal best set two weeks ago) while freshman Jonnie Tompkins ran 133rd in a personal-best time of 9:07.21.

Senior Matt Schiller also competed this weekend, running a 51.66(a season-best on the indoor surface) in the 400 meters to finish 90th out of 161 competitors.

The Garnet head to Haverford College on Friday, February 16 at 5:00 p.m. to compete in the annual Haverford Keogh Invite. 
   

GAME BOX SCORE

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Four Bullet players scored in double-figures as the home-standing Gettysburg Bullets (14-9, 11-5 CC) shot 50.8% to defeat Swarthmore 76-41 in Centennial Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Bream Gymnasium.  Senior forward Katie Reilly tallied a career-high 22 points while freshman Allie Dreschler (14 points), Nicole Dobranski (12 points) and Courtney Fields (10 points) all hit double-digits as Gettysburg hit a season-high for points to keep pace in the race for a Centennial Conference playoff spot.

Swarthmore junior forward Karen Berk extended her double-figure scoring streak to 25 games, leading the Garnet with 10 points and nine rebounds.  Melissa Grigsby '09 and Laura Popovics '08 added six points apiece for Swarthmore.

The Bullets started the afternoon on fire, hitting seven of their first 11 shots (including three triples) to take a 18-4 lead with 15:00 left in the first half.  Drechsler had the hot-hand, sinking two triples and a lay-up for eight quick points.

Swarthmore responded with a 7-2 run, capped by Berk's lay-up and free throw at 11:52, to get within 20-10 at the 11:52 mark. 

Gettysburg continued to convert shots, holding a 28-17 lead with 6:25 left in the first half.  The Bullets quickly took command of the game with a 16-0 run to end the half, finished off by a triple from sophomore forward Emily Harwood with 23 seconds left.

The Bullets shot 56.3% and forced 17 Garnet turnovers in the first half to hold a 44-17 lead at the intermission.  Dreschler and Fields led Gettysburg with 10 points apiece while Berk paced Swarthmore with eight points.

Gettysburg continued to pour in points, tallying the first eight markers of the second half to push out to a 52-17 lead.  Swarthmore freshman guard Lisa Schumacher scored on a drive at 17:51 to end the run.  Two free throws by junior forward Kristen Traband and a three-pointer by Popovics brought the visitors within 54-24 at 14:23.

The Bullets kept the offense rolling, using six points from Reilly on the way to an 8-0 run and their largest lead of the night, 62-24, at the 12:39 mark.

Reilly made it a memorable Senior Day, shooting 11 of 17 from the floor to go along with a team-best eight rebounds and four steals.  Dreschler hit six of her nine attempts while tying with Sam Pyzik for a team-high six assists.  Overall, Gettysburg handed out 26 assists on 33 field goals and forced 29 Swarthmore turnovers (the Bullets picked up 17 steals).

Swarthmore returns home on Tuesday, Feb. 13 for a 7:00 p.m. game with Washington.  It is the final home game of the season for the Garnet (4-18, 1-15 CC) and the team will honor seniors Jess Fuhr and Sam Graffeo with a pre-game ceremony.

GAME BOX SCORE

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Crunch-time is upon the Centennial Conference as six teams are still alive in the race for the final three spots in the year-end playoffs.

Swarthmore's shooting touch vacated the Garnet at an in-opportune time, as the hometown Gettysburg Bullets took a big step towards securing one of the playoff bids with a 60-49 Centennial win Saturday afternoon.   Sophomore forward Joe Spierenburg led Gettysburg with 15 points and nine rebounds as the Bullets held the Garnet to just 24.6% shooting from the floor for their third win in four games.

Swarthmore forward Ian McCormick '08 put up game-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.  After Saturday's game, McCormick has 989 career points and 534 rebounds, looking to become just the sixth Swarthmore player to join the 1,000-pt/500-rebound club.  He is only eight boards from passing current Garnet assistant coach Matt Gustafson '05 for ninth-all-time at Swarthmore.  McCormick also picked up two blocks to increase his season-total to 46--the second-highest single-season total in school history (Rob Ruffin '92 had 50 swats in 1988-89).

Gettysburg (10-12, 8-8 CC) and Swarthmore (10-13, 7-9 CC) came into the afternoon tied with McDaniel for fourth place in the Centennial Conference standings (the top five teams make the CC playoffs—Johns Hopkins and Ursinus have already clinched).  The Bullets have owned the series of late, winning the six previous meetings between the two schools, dating back to a 68-62 Swarthmore victory in Bream Gym in 2003-04.

Gettysburg found holes in the Swarthmore interior defense at the onset, getting three inside buckets from senior forward Brian Sateja to take a 6-1 lead at 16:40.  McCormick hit the first Garnet field goal at 16:05, putting back an offensive rebound on the right block.  Bullets' senior Julius Redd answered with a foul-line jumper at 14:55 to put the hometeam in front 10-3.

Swarthmore continued to work the offense through McCormick, cutting the Bullets' advantage to 15-13 after freshman guard Matt Allen spun a post-entry  feed which McCormick finshed.  The junior forward got loose on a fast-break and through down a two-handed jam at 10:15 to get Swarthmore within two. 

Bullets' sophomore guard Dan Capkin, fourth in the Centennial with 16.9 points per game, put a stop to the Swarthmore surge with a leaner in the lane at 9:36, putting Gettysburg up 17-13.

Allen's three-pointer from the left wing gave the Garnet their first lead of the afternoon, 18-17 at 7:55 but Gettysburg senior Mike Beck dropped in his own triple on the next possession to start a 9-0 for the Bullets.  The Bullets' Chris Nevolo converted a lay-up in transition to put the home team up 24-18 at the seven-minute mark.

Garnet freshman forward Matt Turner followed senior guard Chris Casey on a fast-break and tipped in the senior's miss to end the run and McCormick got another fast-break bucket to cut it the Bullets' lead to 26-22 with 3:35 left. 

Beck finished off a nice pass from Capkin in the final minute of the half, sending the Bullets into the locker room with the 32-22 advantage.

McCormick led all scorers with 11 points while Sateja score eight points to go along with six rebounds for Gettysburg.

The Bullets' defense, ranked third in the Centennial by allowing only 62.0 points per game, held Swarthmore to just 23.7% shooting from the floor in the first half.  Gettysburg also enjoyed a 29-20 edge on the glass.

McCormick scored the first two buckets of the second half to bring the Garnet within 32-26 at 18:25, forcing a 30-second Gettysburg time-out.  The home team got lay-ups from Redd and Capkin to push the lead back to 10, 36-26 with 16:00 to go.

Swarthmore sophomore Raul Ordonez nailed a triple, Turner dropped in two free throws, and senior Dillon McGrew swished a three-pointer of his own as the Garnet went on a 8-4 run to get within 40-34 at 12:08.

Sateja finished off a jump hook at 11:44 and Capkin out-raced three Swarthmore defenders for a lay-in at 10:40 to put Gettysburg back in front by ten, 44-34.

The Bullets' battled through foul trouble in the second half (Redd and Sateja both picked up their fourth before the eight minute mark), but Spierenburg kept working inside, picking up the old-fashion three point play at 7:45 to put his team up by 12.  The sophomore ran the floor on the next possession and Capkin hit him for an easy lay-in. 

The 20-7 Bullets' run was capped by Nevolo's deep three-pointer with the shot clock dwindling, giving Gettysburg its largest lead of the afternoon, 60-41, with three minutes left.

Capkin finished the afternoon with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists while Sateja chipped in 10 points and six boards in just 15 minutes of action.

The Centennial playoff picture is still muddled with two games remaining.  Haverford locked up one of the three remaining spots with a 51-50 win at Dickinson while Gettysburg stands alone in fourth at 8-8.  There is now a four-way tie for fifth place at 7-9 between Swarthmore, McDaniel, Franklin & Marshall and Muhlenberg.  The Garnet possess tie-breakers over McDaniel and F&M by virtue of sweeping the season series, while the Mules own the tie-breaker over the Garnet.

Swarthmore play the final regular season home game of 2006-07 on Wednesday, Feb. 14, welcoming Centennial rival Washington to Tarble Pavilion for a 7:30 game.  The Garnet will honor its four seniors—Casey, guard Dillon McGrew, forward Mark Rohde, and forward Alan Walsh—prior to the start of Wednesday's game.  The final regular season game will take place at Haverford on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Four Swarthmore players scored in double figures as the Garnet dropped a 78-65 decision at Muhlenberg in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night.

Garnet junior Ian McCormick led the team with 17 points while classmate Matt Kurman added 12 points.  Junior forward Steve Wolf and freshman guard Matt Allen added 11 points apiece for Swarthmore (10-12 overall, 7-8 CC). 

Swarthmore senior point guard Chris Casey handed out eight assists, one short of career-high, with no turnovers in 35 minutes.  Casey also tied his career-high of 82 helpers in one season, handing out his 250th dime with 9:29 left in the second half--he is only the third Garnet player (16th in the Centennial) to accumulate 250 assists, joining Jacob Letendre '04 (school-record 394) and Colin Convey '97 (283).

The Garnet were clicking early, jumping out to an 8-2 lead after Kurman  found Matt Turner '10 for a lay-up at 16:57.  Wolf's old-fashion three-point play put Swarthmore up 13-7 at the 15:04 mark before the hometown Mules put together a 23-9 run to assume a 30-22 advantage with 5:51 left in the half.  Ryan Foster's steal and ensuing jumper capped the run for Muhlenberg.

A lay-up by McCormick and another three-point play by Wolf would bring Swarthmore within three, 30-27, with 4:11 left in the half.  Unfortunately, the Mules held Swarthmore to just one field goal, a slick offensive rebound put-back by sophomore forward Raul Ordonez, taking a 39-30 lead into the intermission.

Muhlenberg drilled six three-pointers in the first half and were led by

The Garnet came out firing at the start of the second half getting lay-ups from McCormick and Wolf, plus a triple from Casey, to cut the Mules' lead to 41-37 just one minute in.

Muhlenberg countered with four free throws and a triple from Mike Bernardini to take back the nine-point advantage, 48-39, with 16:11 to play.

Swarthmore got the deficit to four on two more occasions--after a Matt Allen '10 three-pointer at 14:18 and a McCormick lay-up at 11:10.  Muhlenberg pushed its lead to 12 following another Bernardini triple at 5:17 and put the game away in the final five minutes with 11 of 12 shooting from the line.

Bernardini led all scorers with 21 points while teammate Tom Scott added 20 points and six rebounds

Swarthmore looks to re-group at Gettysburg this Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2:00 p.m.