Box Score READING, Pa. – Four Bullets reached double figures in scoring and the Gettysburg College men's basketball team celebrated New Year's Eve early with a 69-53 victory at Alvernia University in non-conference action Thursday afternoon.
Gettysburg (8-2), playing for the first time in 18 days, broke the game open with a 15-5 run midway through the second half. The Bullets have now equaled their best start through 10 games since the 2008-09 campaign.
Senior center
Kevin Gladstone (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) notched his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore forward
Cam Stewart (Sydney, Australia/Newington College) also netted 14 points while grabbing six rebounds. Junior forward
Cody Kiefer (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) contributed 13 points and five boards while sophomore guard
Alex Kaslander (Verona, N.J./Verona) enjoyed a strong all-around game with 11 points, five rebounds, and a career-high six assists off the bench.
The Bullets shot 53.7 percent from the field – their second-best mark of the season – and out-rebounded the Crusaders 43-24.
Charles Cooper led Alvernia (5-5) with a game-high 24 points.
It was a tight contest for the majority of the first half, which featured seven lead changes and one tie over the opening 15 minutes. But that's when the Bullets peeled off a 13-2 run late in the period to open up some breathing room. Kaslander kicked off the spurt with a 3-pointer with 5:13 on the clock to give his team the lead (18-17) for good before connecting from distance again just over two minutes later. Kiefer made it a 10-0 run when he dropped in a lay-up with 3:11 showing.
Stewart capped the surge when he nailed a trey with 2:26 left in the half, handing the Bullets their largest lead (28-19) of the stanza. Mike Miller hit a jumper with 20 seconds left to make it a 28-21 game at the break.
Gladstone paced the Bullets with eight points and five rebounds in the first half while Kaslander contributed six points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Alvernia trailed by just four (37-33) before the Orange and Blue embarked on their game-breaking run. Four different Bullets scored during the outburst, and another Kaslander 3-pointer put the Bullets up 62-48 with 9:12 remaining. The Crusaders were unable to draw closer than 10 the rest of the way, and Gettysburg saw its lead reach as much 18 (66-48).
Gettysburg returns to Centennial Conference action next Thursday, when it visits Swarthmore College at 8 p.m.
