Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Senior center Andrew Powers scored 15 of his game-high tying 17 points in the second half and drew a crucial charge in the game's closing seconds as the Bullets rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat Ursinus College 59-56 in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Thursday evening in Helfferich Hall.

Gettysburg (8-6, 5-2 CC) won its fourth straight game, and with Muhlenberg's win over No. 18 Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson's victory at Washington College, the Bullets move into a three-way tie with F&M and Dickinson for first place in the Centennial Conference.

In a nail-biting finish, the lead changed hands six times in the final 5:39.

Junior guard Brendan Trelease added a season-high 14 points for the Bullets, draining 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Larry Geedey contributed 12 points while classmate Derek Brooks pumped in a career-high nine points.

Sophomore center Jon Ward paced the Bears (5-9, 2-5 CC) with 17 points while senior guard Matt Hilton notched 11 points.

Playing just 30 minutes from his hometown of Boyertown, Powers, who also tied game-highs with eight rebounds and five assists, made the most of what could have been his final trip to Ursinus. With his fourth point of the night, he moved past Brian Towns '90 and into third on the school's all-time scoring list, and he now has 1,693 career points.

Powers took over the game down the stretch, and his baby-hook in the lane put the Bullets in front (57-56) to stay. At the other end, he ripped down a rebound before Brooks was fouled with 18 seconds left. In a one-and-one situation, Brooks hit the first free throw and missed the second, setting up a classic finish.

With two fouls to give, the Bullets fouled twice before Ursinus called timeout with nine seconds to go. Hilton then drove the right baseline, where he collided with Powers and was called for the charge. Powers set the final score when he made 1-of-2 free throws with 1.0 second on the clock, and although Ursinus was able to get the ball into the frontcourt, the Bears last-second 3-pointer that clanked off the rim was waved off.

The Bullets dialed long distance to race out to an early 9-4 lead, with Trelease knocking down a pair of treys and Geedey connecting once from beyond the arc. Gettysburg led 11-6 after a couple of Geedey free throws, but that's when Ursinus used a 16-2 run to assume its largest lead of the night (22-13) with 7:52 left in the opening period.

Gettysburg answered with a 14-5 run, with back-to-back 3's from Trelease and senior forward Kevin Kennedy tying the score at 27-all with 2:28 showing. It was a 29-29 game at the half after Ward hit two free throws with 23 ticks showing.

Trelease and Geedey led the Bullets with nine points apiece in the first half.

Ursinus opened the second half on a 10-2 run to go up 39-31 with 13:29 to go. However, Gettysburg came back with a 10-4 surge, and a long jumper from Brooks made it 43-41 with 7:54 remaining. In the meantime, Ward kept Ursinus in it by scoring nine straight points and 11 of the Bears 13 midway through the half.

The Bullets took their first lead of the half when Powers knocked down two foul shots on a one-and-one with 5:39 left, putting his team in front 49-48. He would score nine of the team's final 12 points and give Gettysburg the lead on his final three field goals, hitting a leaner with 4:26 left, a put-back on his own missed shot with 2:13 to go, and his go-ahead hook.

Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday, when it hosts Muhlenberg College at 4 p.m. in a Centennial Conference contest.