SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Swarthmore outscored Gettysburg 50-23 in the second half and the 21st-ranked Garnet pulled away after a close first period, downing the Bullets 86-51 in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon to close out the regular season.
 

Teams	1st	2nd	Final
Gettysburg (15-9, 11-7 CC)	28	23	51
#21 Swarthmore (21-4, 15-3 CC)	36	50	86

                       
Gettysburg's Top Performers

• Colin Farrell '25 (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy): 13 points, 2 rebounds
• Avery Close '22 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville): 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Elijah Williams '23 (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends): 8 points, 7 rebounds

Swarthmore's Top Performers

• George Visconti: 12 points, 3 rebounds
• Conner Harkins: 11 points, 5 rebounds
• Justin Tucker: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Michael Caprise: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals 

Game Summary - First Half

• Gettysburg battled with the 21st-ranked team by exchanging buckets in a back-and-forth affair throughout the first half. Farrell wasted no time getting on the scoresheet as he drained a three-pointer on the Bullets' first possession 25 seconds into the game. Swarthmore's Justin Tucker sank a three-pointer and jumper to push the hosts in front 5-3. Farrell answered right back with a lay-up to tie the game at 5-5. A minute later, Abass Sallah made a pair of free throws to put the Garnet ahead by two.
• The Bullets went on a role after that as Williams made a lay-up that started an 8-0 run to lead 13-7 at 13:58. The Garnet then responded by netting the next seven points to regain the advantage by one (14-13). Williams gave Gettysburg its lead back when he knocked down a trey midway through.
• Gettysburg's next four points came from the free throw line, and the team stayed ahead 20-16 at 8:34.
• Back-to-back three-pointers by the Garnet followed by a lay-up allowed the hosts to retake the advantage by four (24-20).
• Freshman Carl Schaller (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) sliced the deficit down to two off a pair of made free throws, but that was as close as Gettysburg's comeback came in the opening half. Swarthmore closed out the half on a 12-6 run, which included making two three-pointers, to secure a 36-28 lead. 

Game Summary - Second Half

• The hosts started the second half with a 7-0 run, while Gettysburg struggled to get into an offensive groove. Williams sank Gettysburg's first set of points off a three-pointer at 14:03 to trim the advantage down to 12 (43-31).
• Swarthmore maintained a 16-point cushion on three different occasions, and Gettysburg was within 15 points a pair of times before the hosts put it out of reach.
• The Bullets were unable to rally back as the Garnet led by 20 or more for the rest of the game. Swarthmore made 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field and went 17-of-20 (85 percent) from the charity stripe in the second half.

By the Numbers

• Gettysburg went 15-of-48 (31.3 percent) from the field and 17-of-30 (56.7 percent) at the free throw line. Swarthmore finished 30-of-65 (46.2 percent) from the floor and 19-of-23 (82.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
• Swarthmore won the 44-34 rebounding battle.
• Johns Hopkins University (20-3, 16-2) will be hosting the semifinals and championship of the CC Tournament after clinching the top seed. Swarthmore is the No. 2 seed with Gettysburg at No. 3, Dickinson College (11-12, 10-8 CC) at No. 4, and Ursinus College (12-12, 9-9 CC) at No. 5. Gettysburg will be making its first postseason appearance since 2016 and has earned its highest seeding since finishing third in 2011. 

Where the Series Stands
The Garnet won their eighth-straight meeting against the Bullets. Swarthmore holds the all-time series record at 31-23.  
 
Next Up
Gettysburg will play in the semifinals against second-seeded Swarthmore next Friday, Feb. 25, with a time to be determined.