Athletics News

Colorado College shot a blistering 63% from the field to defeat Swarthmore 96-82 in the consolation game of the Purple & Gold Poet Classic at Whittier College on Tuesday night.

Matt Gustafson '05 scored 25 points and freshman Ian McCormick added a career-high 21 points as the Garnet fell to 1-8 on the season.

The Tigers took a commanding 50-36 lead into the intermission, shooting 8 for 11 from beyond the arc. Colorado College, led by 27 points from Michael Reich, held the final margin by sinking 19 of 24 from the charity stripe in the second half.

Gustafson is currently averaging 26.9 points per game, third best in all of Division III. With 59 total points for the tournament, earning a spot on the all-tournament team, the senior forward pushed his career total to 1,473 points, only 35 points from passing James Reilly '50 for second on the list. The school record is 1,563 points, established by Scott Gibbons '92.

Swarthmore returns from the West Coast today and will travel to Chestertown, Md. for a 7:30 p.m. Centennial Conference game against Washington College.

Whittier College used a 20-6 second-half run to down Swarthmore 85-76 in opening round action of the Purple & Gold Poet Classic on Monday night in southern California.

Senior captain Matt Gustafson scored a game-high 34 points on 13 for 22 shooting, while registering a team-high six rebounds and four blocks. Freshman guard Matt Kurman played his best game to date, posting career-highs in points (17) and assists (6) for the Garnet.

The Poets took a 43-41 lead into halftime and used 58% shooting in the second half to build a comfortable 63-47 lead.

Dillon McGrew '07 added 12 points, on 4 for 8 shooting from beyond the three point arc, as Swarthmore fell to 1-7 on the season.

The Garnet square off against Colorado College in the consolation game on Tuesday, January 4th. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

Matt Gustafson '05 scored 10 points and added eight rebounds but the Garnet struggled from the floor in dropping a 73-48 Centennial Conference (CC) decision to Johns Hopkins at Tarble Pavilion. Swarthmore falls to 1-6 overall and 0-2 in the CC while the Blue Jays improve to 3-3, 1-1.

Eric Toback hit 4 of 7 3-pointers to lead the Blue Jays with a game-high 20 points. Tobak hit three of his bombs in the first half en route to 15 points in helping the Jays build a 38-25 halftime advantage.

JHU scored the first 10-points of the second half to open a 48-25 advantage. Swarthmore hit just 5 of 25 attempts from the floor in the second half and did not hit a field goal in the final 8:55 of the game.

TJ Valerio and Zack Armen each added 10 points for the Jays and Matt Kurman came off the bench to score nine points for the Garnet.

Swarthmore returns to the hardwood on January 3 when it travels to California to play in the Whittier College Poet Classic. The Garnet face the host Poets at 8:00 local time.

The 18th-ranked Blue Jays outscored Swarthmore 26-9 in the second half to fend off the upset minded Garnet, 43-37 in Centennial Conference action. The Garnet led by as many as 13 but cold shooting was its undoing.

The Garnet played tenacious defense and crashed the boards in building a 28-17 halftime advantage over the Blue Jays.

The JHU offense entered the game leading the Conference in field goal percentage, averaging 42.4% from the floor, but the stout Garnet D held them to 22.2% for the half as they converted just 6 of 27 attempts. Swarthmore also built a 29-17 edge off the glass that included 11 offensive caroms.

Karen Berk '08 came off the bench to spark the offense scoring all of her team-high eight points in the period, including two layups in the closing minutes to give the Garnet an 11-point cushion going into the break.

The Garnet continued its solid defensive and rebounding effort throughout the second half but the offense disappeared as Swarthmore converted just 2 of 27 attempts in the half.

Ali Wolf '05 sank two free throws in the opening minute to give the Garnet the largest lead of the game at 30-17. But with the offense struggling, Johns Hopkins used a 9-0 run to close to 30-26 before a Kristen Lee '05 jumper at 14:53 ended the scoreless skid at 4:16.

The Blue Jays managed to find the bottom of the net a few times to take a 35-32 advantage when Ashley Felix scored with 9:21 remaining.

The Garnet continued to shoot blanks, missing ten in a row, but the Blue Jays could not score either as two Wolf free-throws brought the Garnet to within 35-34 at the 6:10 mark.

A Julie Miller jumper and an Felix layup gave the Jays a 39-34 advantage with 3:27 left. Jen Stevenson '06 then banked in a three pointer to cut the lead to two with 1:37 on the clock. But a Miller three from the right wing with :53 remaining gave Johns Hopkins a 42-37 lead, sealing the victory.

Radiance Walters '06 added six points and matched her career-high of 17 rebounds and the Garnet closed with a 54-46 rebounding edge. Felix and Amanda Leese led the Blue Jays with 10 points each.

Swarthmore shot just 23.7% for the game, hitting 14 of 59 attempts, while the Blue Jays closed the game at 27.6% converting 16 of 58 shots.

Swarthmore falls to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the CC, while the Blue Jays move to 7-1, 4-0.

The Garnet return to action on January 5 in a 6:00 p.m. Centennial match up at Washington.

Swarthmore College junior Radiance Walters (Gaithersburg, MD - The Bullis School) averaged 11 points, and 11.5 rebounds in the Garnet's 3-1 week to earn Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors for December 6.

The 5-9 forward recorded double-doubles of 13 points and 14 rebounds against St. Joseph (CT) and 11 points and 13 boards against Mount Holyoke in the Seven Sisters Tournament. Walters was named to the Seven Sisters All-Tournament team after leading the Garnet to the Championship game.

Walters is averaging 11.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, which ranks her 13th in the conference in scoring and 2nd in rebounding. Walters has recorded five double-doubles on the season and dropped in a career-high 21 points against Mary Washington on November 20.

Swarthmore is currently 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Centennial.

All-Tournament selection Radiance Walters '06 scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Jen Stevenson '06 added 10 points as Swarthmore fell 50-44 to Mt. Holyoke in the championship game of the Seven Sisters Tournament.

The Lyons took a 25-18 lead with 4:26 left in the half, led by the penetration of Joeanna Silvey. Swarthmore tore off a 7-0 run to end the half, knotting the score at 25-25 at the intermission.

Mt. Holyoke, behind Tournament MVP Sara Belding, took control of the game at the beginning of the second half, using a 10-2 run to take a 35-27 lead at the 14:43 mark.

Swarthmore cut the lead to six with under four minutes to play on a three-pointer by Jessica Fuhr '07, but the Lyons were able to keep the Garnet at bay to clinch their third consecutive Seven Sisters Championship.

Walters, collecting her fourth double-double of the season, was joined on the All-Tournament squad by guard Kristen Lee '05.

Stevenson was named Defensive Player of the Tournament as Swarthmore falls to 4-3 on the season.

The Garnet return to the court in just two days, hosting 12th-ranked Johns Hopkins on Tuesday, December 7th at 7:00 p.m. in Centennial Conference action.

The 200 medley relay team of Anders Taylor '07, Andrew Koczo '07, Mike Auerbach '05 and Jason Horwitz '07 placed second in a time of 1:40.12 to pace the Garnet at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational.

Swarthmore finished in 8th place out of 11 squads with 482 points. Andrew Frampton '08 finished in third place in the 1650 freestyle in a time of 17:02 as the only other top three finish for the Garnet. Results

Jennie Lewis '08 posted six top 5 finishes to lead the Garnet to a sixth place finish at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational.

Individually, Lewis finished second in the 200 freestyle in a lifetime best time of 2:00.32, third in the 100 freestyle in 55.55, and fifth in the 50 freestyle in 25.51.

The first-year also swam on the second place 400 freestyle relay with Franny Zhang '08, Sarah Cotcamp '07 and Whitney Nekoba '08 in 3:42.22, on the third place 200 freestyle relay with Cotcamp, Melanie Johncilla '05 and Nekoba in 1:43.40 and was also on the fourth place 400 medley relay team with Christie Tomm '05, Michele Hom '07 and Zhang in 4:14.37.

The Garnet finished with 705 points to place sixth out of 11 teams Bloomsburg place first with 1444.5. Results

Kristen Lee '05 scored a game-high 15 points to lead Swarthmore to a 70-48 victory over Vassar in the semifinals of the Seven Sisters Tournament hosted by Bryn Mawr.

The Garnet will face Mount Holyoke tomorrow at 3 pm in a rematch of last year's Championship game, which the Lyons won 54-49.

Swarthmore jumped out to a 28-16 lead on an Ali Wolff '05 3-pointer but the Brewers battled back, closing the half on a 12-3 run that cut the lead to 31-28 at the break.

The second half was all Swarthmore as the Garnet used a 27-10 run to start the period, opening a 58-38 advantage.

The Garnet shot as season-best 49.1% from the floor for the game hitting 28 of 57 attempts. Lee led the charge hitting 7 of 10 attempts. Radiance Walters '06 added 12 points and six rebounds and Karen Berk '08 came off the bench to chip in 11 points.

Swarthmore improves to 4-2 on the season.

Matt Gustafson '05 scored a game-high 20 points but the Garnet (1-5, 0-1) fell 82-68 at Ursinus (3-2, 1-0) in the Centennial Conference opener for both squads.

Swarthmore scored the first bucket of the game on a Mark Rohde '07 jumper but then Ursinus went on a 10-0 run an never looked back.

Ian McCormick '08 came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points and Dillon McGrew '07 and Matt Kurman '08 each added 12 points for the Garnet.

Will Furey led the Bears with 19 points and Brian McEvily added 16.

Swarthmore hosts Johns Hopkins on Wednesday night at 7:30.