Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Elizabethtown College shot 54.2 percent from 3-point range and defeated Gettysburg 82-55 in the first round of the 23rd annual Gettysburg Tip-Off Tournament Friday evening in Bream Gymnasium.
Four players scored in double figures for the Blue Jays, who led 39-27 at halftime before opening the second half on a 12-1 run. E-town led by at least 18 the rest of the way.
The Jays move on to play DeSales University, a 72-47 winner over Penn State-Harrisburg in the second game of the night, in Saturday's championship game at 4 p.m. The Bullets will play Harrisburg in the consolation game starting at 2 p.m.
Gettysburg started two freshmen, including
Tanner Kirkpatrick (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who scored a game-high 17 points. He shot 5-for-7 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Senior forward
Connor Poston (Ambler, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) contributed eight points and seven rebounds while freshman forward
Cody Kiefer (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg), who also started, added eight points.
Andrew Mantz registered 15 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and three steals to lead E-town, which shot 10-for-18 from 3-point range, while Tyler Simpkiss also scored 15 points. Lee Eckert notched 12 points and seven rebounds while Joe Schwalm posted 11 points.
Both teams were playing their season opener.
The Bullets led 8-4 in the early going before the Blue Jays answered with an 11-0 run.
Gettysburg would come back to tie the game at 20-20 with 7:46 left in the half following back-to-back 3-pointers from Kirkpatrick that completed a 12-5 run. However, E-town came right back with a 7-0 spurt to assume a 27-20 lead, then closed the half on a 6-1 spurt to assume its 12-point halftime advantage.
After E-town's run to start the second half, Kirkpatrick twice reduced the deficit to under 20. His 3-pointer with 15:11 left made it 53-35, and his lay-up with 13:15 to go the score at 58-39. However, the Blue Jays settled any doubt with a 13-2, pushing their lead to 71-41 with 8:58 remaining.
