Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore guard Pete Christ (Pittstown, N.J./Delaware Valley Regional) scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, leading the Gettysburg College men's basketball team to an 83-67 Centennial Conference (CC) victory over Washington College in Bream Gym on Saturday.
 
The Bullets (11-6, 7-3 CC) have now won four of their last five games and are currently in sole possession of fourth place in the Centennial Conference standings. They swept the season series from Washington (2-15, 2-8 CC) after topping the Shoremen 59-58 back on Dec. 6.
 
Christ shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range and tied career-highs for both scoring and rebounding, as he also grabbed 10 boards for his second career double-double. He was nearly perfect in the second half, when he shot 5-for-5 from the floor, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range, and 6-for-7 at the foul line.
 
In a physical and tightly-officiated game, the two sides were whistled for a total of 50 fouls and shot 67 free throws. The Bullets went 29-for-41 at the charity stripe, marking the team's highest output at the foul line since going 34-for-47 in a win over Grove City College on Dec. 29, 2012. The Shoremen made 19 of 26 free throws.
 
The Bullets also posted season-highs for rebounds (44) and assists (21). Gettysburg out-rebounded Washington by nine and assisted on all but three of their 24 field goals.
 
For the second time in three games, all five Gettysburg starters scored in double figures. Junior center Kevin Gladstone (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) added 14 points and eight rebounds while sophomore forward Tanner Kirkpatrick (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) notched 13 points. Senior guard Sean Gordon (Broomall, Pa./Malvern Prep) contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists, and he also moved into fifth on Gettysburg's career assist list, pushing his current total to 235. Sophomore forward Cody Kiefer (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) pitched in with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
 
Sean Flanigan scored 15 points off the bench to lead Washington while Dave Knox posted nine points and 10 rebounds. Pat Morgan added 12 points while James Drury contributed 12.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the first half, when there were six ties and 10 lead changes. However, the Bullets took the lead for good when Gordon knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:05 left in the period to give his team a 23-20 advantage. A pair of Drury free throws pulled the Shoremen to within a point with 3:53 on the clock, but that's when Gettysburg answered with a 10-1 run to open up some breathing room. Four different Bullets scored during the spurt, which was capped by a Kirkpatrick jumper with 1:26 left that made it 33-23. Knox dropped in a bucket with 2.9 ticks showing to make it a 34-27 game at the break.
 
The Bullets twice pushed their lead into double digits over the opening 10 minutes of the second half, and both times Washington responded by pulling to within at least five. Gordon canned another trey to make it 42-31 with 17:46 to go, only to see the Shoremen rattle off an 8-2 run to make it 44-39 with 15:22 left. Gettysburg nudged its advantage back up to 10 when Kirkpatrick hit a pair of free throws with 13:02 remaining, but Washington ran off six unanswered points to pull to within four (50-46) with 11:36 to go. However, that's when head coach George Petrie called a 30-second timeout, and the Bullets responded with a decisive 12-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 64-49 lead with 7:48 left. Christ scored the final 10 points of the spurt, including back-to-back 3-pointers 40 seconds apart.
 
Washington was unable to get closer than nine the rest of the way, and the Bullets iced the victory at the foul line, making 12 of 16 free throws inside the final 2:33.
 
The Bullets continue their season on Tuesday, when they visit 14th-ranked Franklin & Marshall College at 8 p.m. in a Centennial Conference showdown.