Box Score
HAVERFORD, Pa. – Junior guard Dan Capkin (Wynewood, Pa./Lower Merion) scored a game-high 26 points and Gettysburg overcame a sluggish start to defeat host Haverford College 57-46 in a Centennial Conference game Saturday afternoon at GIAC Goodling Arena.
The win gave Gettysburg Head Coach George Petrie his 247th career victory, moving him past Bob Hulton and into sole possession for second on the program's all-time wins list. Now in his 19th season, Petrie has gone 247-216 since 1989-90 while Hulton was 246-243 from 1957-77. He now trails only Hen Bream, who was 309-195 from 1927-55.
It was the lowest-scoring game of the season for Gettysburg (6-1, 3-1 CC), which scored its fewest points of the season but also held its opponent to its lowest scoring total.
The Bullets are off to their best start since opening 8-0 in 2001-02.
Capkin, who posted his fourth 20-point game of the season, was a red-hot 11-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Freshman center Andrew Powers (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) added 14 points and eight rebounds for Gettysburg while junior guard Corey Dorsey (Frederick, Md./St. John's at Prospect Hall) contributed eight points.
Junior forward Brent Anderson paced Haverford (3-6, 2-2 CC) with 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Bullets were rusty coming out of the gates, scoring just two points while making only one of their first seven shot over the opening 10 minutes. Gettysburg also committed 10 of their 13 first-half turnovers during that stretch as Haverford went ahead 11-6. The Fords enjoyed their largest lead of the afternoon after a Matt Palmer driving lay-up put the home team up 15-7 with 7:42 on the clock.
A 7-0 Gettysburg run pulled the Bullets back into it. Junior forward Joe Spierenburg (Chambersburg, Pa./St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) started the spurt with a straightaway three-pointer before Powers converted four straight free throws, the last two coming on a one-and-one opportunity, to make it a 15-14 game. The Fords still led by five (23-18) with 1:32 remaining before Gettysburg scored the final six points of the half. Capkin dropped in a lay-up and made 1-of-2 free throws before Dorsey nailed a trey from the left elbow three seconds before the horn, giving his team its first lead of the game at 24-23 heading into the intermission.
The Bullets continued to play well in the second half and a lay-up from junior guard Chris Nevolo (Neshanic Station, N.J./Somerville) put Gettysburg in front (29-27) to stay with 14:03 left. Capkin then put the team on his back, scoring nine straight points for Gettysburg midway through the half. His floater from the right baseline made it 40-32 with 8:18 to go, but Haverford kept within striking distance up until the final minute.
Junior guard Matt Stitt connected on a three-pointer for the Fords with 5:24 left to make it 52-47, and after the Bullets pushed their lead to double digits on a spinning lay-up from Powers, Anderson knocked down a pair of free throws to make it an eight-point game (49-41) with 2:13 showing.
Nevolo came up big at the foul line with 1:51 on the clock, hitting two foul shots on a one-and-one opportunity to push his team's lead back to 10 (51-41) before junior guard Alex Schwada drained a trey from the right wing to pull the Fords to within seven with 1:39 left. However, Haverford would miss its final three field goal attempts, and Powers and Dorsey pulled down a pair of key defensive rebounds. Capkin put the game away for the Bullets, converting back-to-back lay-ups following a pair of Gettysburg stops. His final bucket of the night made it 55-44 with 46 ticks showing.
The Bullets shot 65.0% in the second half to finish at 55.3% for the game. After connecting on 40.9% of their shots in the opening period, the Fords were held to 26.7% shooting in the second half and went 32.7% for the game.
Gettysburg will take 20 days off before hitting the hardwood again on Dec. 29-30 at the California Lutheran Tournament. The Bullets open tournament play with an 8 p.m. tip-off against Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 29.
