PHILADELPHIA – Ursinus outscored the Bullets 42-31 in the opening half and the Bears defeated Gettysburg 63-50 in a Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball match-up at the Palestra Sunday afternoon.
 
The two sides went back and forth in the early going, as there were three lead changes and two ties in the first half. However, Ursinus ended the opening stanza on a run, then pulled away in the second period.
 
The Bullets held Ursinus to 34.3 percent shooting – the second-lowest mark by a Gettysburg opponent this season. However, the Bears held a 47-37 rebounding advantage, including 18 offensive boards that led to 16 second-chance points.
 
Sophomore guard Nick Antolini (Babylon, N.Y./Babyon) posted 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals to lead the Bullets (4-11, 2-6 CC) while senior guard Matt England (Warrington, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) notched eight points and seven rebounds.
 
Shane Stark nearly achieved a triple-double to lead Ursinus (10-5, 6-2 CC), finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, and eight steals. Eric Williams added 14 points for the Bears.  
 
The two teams were playing the second game in the inaugural "Centennial Conference at the Palestra" event, which features four additional CC contests. The Palestra is one of the most storied basketball facilities in the United States and home court for the University of Pennsylvania. The Bullets were playing their first game in the arena since a 99-80 loss to Penn on Dec. 10, 1974.
 
Gettysburg outscored Ursinus 9-4 over the opening four and a half minutes, and Gettysburg still led by five (14-9) after a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Danny Duffey (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) with 11:28 left in the first half. But that's when the Bears took the lead for good with a 10-0 run.
 
The Bullets pulled to within two (26-24) on a free throw from England with 4:06 left. However, the Bears ran off the next eight points to push their lead into double figures. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Nick Lord (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) and a pair of Antolini foul shots made it 37-31 with 56 seconds left, but Ursinus scored the last five points of the period to assume its 11-point halftime lead.
 
Both sides shot over 40 percent in the first half, but defense controlled the second period, when both teams shot below 30 percent. The Bears outscored Gettysburg 13-6 to open the stanza to open up its biggest lead of the game at 55-37. The Bullets drew within 12 on a 3-pointer from freshman forward Chris Jack (Reckange-Surr-Mess, Luxembourg/Hun School [N.J.]) with 7:16 left, but they were held to one field goal the rest of the way.
 
Gettysburg picks up its schedule on Wednesday, when it visits McDaniel at 8 p.m. in another Centennial Conference affair.