Box Score
SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Gettysburg rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, and the Bullets defeated host Swarthmore College 77-72 in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Wednesday evening in Tarble Pavilion.
With the win, Gettysburg's fourth in a row, the Bullets (11-2, 6-1 CC) continued their best overall start since 1938-39 and their best conference start since 2001-02.
Junior guard Corey Dorsey (Frederick, Md./St. John's at Prospect Hall) paced Gettysburg with 18 points, including six in the final minute, while handing out five assists. His two free throws with 10 seconds left sealed the win for Gettysburg.
Dorsey was one of four Bullets to score in double figures. Junior guard Dan Capkin (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) netted 15 points while handing out four assists, and freshman forward Kevin Kennedy (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard) made 3-of-4 three-pointers en route to a season-high 13 points off the bench. Junior forward Joe Spierenburg (Chambersburg, Pa./St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) notched 10 points.
Swarthmore (3-10, 0-7 CC) was led by center Ian McCormick, who posted game-highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds. Matt Kurman added 16 points while Matt Allen contributed 12 points off the bench.
The Bullets led only twice early in the game before a key 10-0 run midway through the second half gave Gettysburg the lead for good.
It was the second time in four games that Gettysburg overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half. The Bullets also rallied from 12 points down in their 94-87 win at Hood College on Jan. 5.
The Garnet took control early, using a 10-0 run to open up a 14-6 advantage with 14:40 on the clock. The hosts held the lead for the remainder of the opening half, although the Bullets scored the final four points of the period, with Capkin and junior guard Chris Nevolo (Neshanic Station, N.J./Somerville) each converting a pair of free throws, to slice the deficit to one (33-32) heading into the locker room.
Swarthmore opened the second half with a 6-0 run to up its lead to seven before, at the 12:31 mark, McCormick gave the Garnet its 10-point advantage with his second three-pointer of the night. But that's when the Bullets began their comeback, scoring the next seven points to pull to within three (50-47). Dorsey and Spierenburg converted back-to-back lay-ups before Kennedy drilled a trey with 11:22 left, making it 50-47.
The Garnet pushed its lead back to five with 8:51 left before the Bullets reeled off its pivotal 10-0 run to assume the lead for good. Capkin got things started with a three-pointer, and after Swarthmore turned in over twice, Dorsey tied the game with a lay-up, making it 56-56 with 7:43 to go. Kennedy then gave the Bullets the lead when he knocked down a jumper in the lane 29 seconds later.
Dorsey hiked Gettysburg's advantage to five when he connected on his only trey of the night, making it 61-56 with 6:29 to go, but the Garnet would keep it close the rest of the way.
Swarthmore cut the gap to one on a pair of occasions, the last coming on a McCormick lay-up that made it 69-68 with 1:21 remaining. But that's when Dorsey took over for the Bullets, hitting a pair of foul shots with 54 seconds left and dropping in a lay-up with 36 ticks showing. A pair of Capkin foul shots gave the Orange & Blue a 75-68 lead with 20 seconds to go, but a Kurman lay-up seven seconds later and a pair of Gettysburg miscues allowed the Garnet to stay in it.
A Bullet turnover gave Swarthmore the ball back with 12 seconds left. Kurman was then fouled on a three-pointer and converted two of three shots to make it a one-possession game (75-72), but Dorsey finally quieted the upset-minded Garnet with his two late free throws.
Gettysburg made a season-low nine turnovers, but also shot just 27.3% (6-for-22) from three-point range. However, the Bullets went 11-for-13 at the foul line while Swarthmore made just half (10-of-20) of its free throws.
The Bullets return to action with a big Centennial Conference on Saturday at Ursinus College, which currently holds first place in the conference standings at 7-0 following its win over Dickinson Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
