Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Four Bullets reached double figures in scoring and the Gettysburg College men's basketball team used a big second half to pull away for a 71-55 victory over Swarthmore College in Centennial Conference (CC) action Saturday afternoon in Bream Gymnasium.

Junior guard Sean Gordon (Broomall, Pa./Malvern Prep) tied a career-high with 14 points and dished out four assists for Gettysburg (6-9, 4-4 CC) while freshman forward Tanner Kirkpatrick (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) added 14 points as well, including an emphatic dunk late in the first half and a trio of 3-pointers during a crucial run early in the second period.

Sophomore guard Sango Amolo (Falls Church, Va./McLean) contributed 12 points and four assists while senior center Connor Poston (Ambler, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) notched 10 points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward Cody Kiefer (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) pitched in with seven points and nine rebounds.

The Bullets made a season-high 19 free throws – 10 more than their previous season-best – on 31 attempts.

Jay Kober scored a game-high 16 points to pace Swarthmore (5-10, 2-6 CC)

Gettysburg led just 33-29 at halftime but came out on fire to start the second stanza, outscoring the Garnet 15-3 over the opening 6:48 of the period. Kirkpatrick knocked down all three of his 3-pointers during the stretch, and a pair of free throws from Amolo made it 48-32 with 13:12 left.

The Garnet closed to within 10, but the Bullets promptly answered with an 8-0 run, capped by a lay-up from freshman center Mlynue Reeves (Washington, D.C./Church Farm School [Pa.]), as the hosts' lead ballooned to 18 (58-40) with 7:37 to go. Swarthmore cut it to 12 a minute and a half later, but the Bullets settled any doubt with a 10-3 run. Poston scored five straight points during the spurt, and Amolo capped it with a pair of free throws to give his team a 68-49 lead with 2:09 showing.

The Bullets led 17-12 midway through the opening period, though Amolo – the team's leading scorer entering the game – was sent to the bench with three fouls less than five minutes into the game. Swarthmore used an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the contest when Kober connected on a trey with 9:22 left, making it 18-17. Chris Bourne nudged the Garnet's lead to three less than a minute later, and two ties and three lead changes would ensue over the next 2:22 before Kirkpatrick put the Bullets on top to stay in impressive style.

Driving down the right baseline, Kirkpatrick took flight and flushed a one-handed dunk while drawing a foul. He would go on to complete the 3-point play, making it 28-25 with 5:51 on the clock.

Kirkpatrick added an alley-oop lay-up with 36 seconds left to give the Bullets a 33-29 lead, and Gordon appeared to have knocked down a 3-pointer in transition just before the buzzer. However, officials convened and waived the shot off, giving the Bullets their four-point halftime advantage.

Gettysburg picks up its schedule on Wednesday, when it hosts McDaniel College at 8 p.m. in another Centennial Conference affair.