Box Score SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Junior Jay Kober led all scorers with 22 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Swarthmore College men's basketball team (5-15, 4-9) from falling to Muhlenberg College (12-8, 8-5) by a score of 70-52 on Wednesday evening in Tarble Pavilion.
The Mules - who shot an efficient 55% from the field in the first half - were led by junior Austin Curry (17 points) and Alec Stavetski (16 points).
Junior Joe Keedy added 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds while Will Gates netted 10 points for Swarthmore in defeat.
The Mules jumped out to a commanding 14-5 lead early in the first half after a 10-0 run, led by sophomore Malique Killing, who finished the game with 10 points and four assists. The Garnet responded with a flurry of threes from Kober and sophomore Karl Barkley. The duo contributed five threes, and 19 of the teams' 23 first half points.
The Garnet trimmed the lead to 25-21 with 7:00 remaining in the half, but the Mules closed the half on a 13-2 run, making it 38-23 at the break. The run was fueled by Stavetski and junior James Albano, who chipped in with eight points.
The Garnet defense was stellar in the second half, limiting the Mules to 36% shooting from the floor and 22% shooting from three. The Garnet shot 48% from the field, but were hurt by turnovers. Senior Matt O'Hara had six steals for the Mules - five in the second half - to offset the offensive push.
Gates added 10 points - all in the second half - to help the Garnet cut into the lead. The Mules had an answer for each Garnet run, led by junior Kevin Hargrove with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Garnet will return to the court on Saturday at Johns Hopkins University. The game is schedule to tip at 1 p.m.
