Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Bob Porambo led four players in double figures with 21 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds to lead Elizabethtown past Gettysburg 84-70 in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday.
Ross Unruh scored 13 of his 15 points on free throws for the Blue Jays (5-2), who used a 19-5 run across both halves to take control of a close game and pick up their third win over the Bullets in the last four meetings between the teams.
Curtis McNeil (Alexandria, VA/St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) led Gettysburg (4-4) with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting that included four 3-pointers. Jim Natale (Washington Crossing, PA/Council Rock) tossed in a career-high 16 points and Greg Schreiber (Mechanicsburg, PA/East Pennsboro) added 11 as the Bullets shot a season-best 55.1 percent from the floor, but committed a season-high 19 turnovers and were out-rebounded on the offensive glass, 16-5.
In an up-tempo game that favored the Blue Jays' style of play, Gettysburg took its last lead at 25-24 on the first of McNeil's four 3-pointers with 6:07 left in the opening half. Porambo stuck a 15-footer from the right side of the lane, however, to put Etown ahead to stay, 26-25 at the 5:35 mark.
Kevin Boyle's (Dublin, PA/Lansdale Catholic) turnaround jumper pulled the Bullets within 30-29 at 3:49, but Unruh converted both ends of one-and-one free throws on Etown's next possession to spark the decisive run.
The Blue Jays outscored Gettysburg 11-5 in the final 3:35 of the first half for a 41-34 halftime edge, then added the first eight points after the break for a 49-34 lead with 17:38 remaining.
Unruh knocked down a pair of free throws, Brian Loftus scored four of his six points on two transition layups and Porambo followed a miss by Matt Nikoloff to cap the 8-0 stretch.
Gettysburg crept within single digits on only one occasion, when Terence Callahan (Bay Shore, NY/St. Anthony's) drilled a 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining to make it 72-63 Blue Jays.
Porambo cut short any thoughts of a Bullet comeback, scoring six points in a 7-2 run that pushed Etown's lead to 79-65 with 2:01 left.
Natale scored 10 of his points on five first-half layups en route to his career-high point total, but Gettysburg managed only one offensive rebound while committing 10 turnovers in the game's first 20 minutes.
Nikoloff and Jon English added 14 points apiece for the Blue Jays. English tossed in his 14 on 6-for-6 shooting, including eight during a 3-minute, 33-second span of the second half.
Gettysburg returns to action on Tuesday, December 19 at Division I Navy. Game time is 7:30 p.m.