Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Junior Matt Gustafson
scored a game-high 37 points – including the 1,000th of his
collegiate career – to lead Swarthmore over Gettysburg 68-62
in Centennial Conference (CC) men’s basketball action on Saturday.
Taking nearly half of his team’s shots
on the afternoon, Gustafson went 13-for-21 from the field
and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line while becoming the 15th
player in Garnet history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Chris Loeffler and Jeff
Maxim chipped in with 10 points apiece to help Swarthmore
(6-8, 3-4 CC) bounce back from a 30-point loss at Franklin
& Marshall on Friday and snap a six-game losing streak
to the Bullets (7-7, 3-4 CC).
David Glaser (West Chester, PA/Malvern
Prep) led Gettysburg with 22 points, but was held
to 6-for-17 shooting from the field. The Bullets’ leading
scorer also contributed eight rebounds and a team-best five
assists. Dami Oloruntoba (Glenn Dale, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt)
posted his first double-double of the season with 13 points
and a career high-tying 11 rebounds in the loss, only Gettysburg’s
second in seven games at Bream Gym in 2003-04.
With Gustafson scoring 18 of his team’s
first 22 points, Swarthmore built an early lead and never
trailed after the midway point of the first half.
Gustafson’s first four points gave the
Garnet a 4-2 lead, but three consecutive layups by Oloruntoba
gave the Bullets their final lead of the game at 8-4. Gustafson
and Maxim knocked down jumpers to knot the game at 8 before
Gustafson converted a pair of free throws to put Swarthmore
ahead to stay at 10-8.
The junior drilled a 3-pointer for a
13-8 Garnet advantage, then netted a hook on his team’s next
possession to reach the 1,000-point mark. Gustafson started
his quest for 2,000 with a jumper on Swarthmore’s next trip
and pushed the lead to 22-10 with a 3-pointer at the 7:44
mark.
The Garnet threatened to take a double-digit
lead into the break, but Oloruntoba knocked down a jumper
in the final seconds to pull Gettysburg within 27-19.
The Bullets opened the second half with
a 10-4 burst to pull within two, but this time it was Loeffler
who had the answer, scoring nine points to ignite an 11-3
run that restored Swarthmore’s 10-point lead at 42-32.
The Garnet held that same margin at 55-45
with 5:14 to play, before Gettysburg used a 10-1 run to cut
the deficit to 56-55 with 2:05 left on a 3-pointer by Chris
Pombar (Glen Head, NY/North Shore).
Gustafson, however, got behind the defense
on the ensuing inbounds pass from Mark Rohde
and scored uncontested to make it 58-55. The Bullets went
empty on their next three possessions and Swarthmore converted
10 of 12 free throws in the final 1:37 to seal the victory.
Jacob Letendre handed out
a game-high seven assists to go along with five points and
two steals in the winning effort.
Gettysburg returns to action on Wednesday
at home against Ursinus. Game time is 8 p.m.
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