Box Score

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Freshman Zack Yonda scored a career-high 17 points and hit a clutch basket down the stretch to lift the Swarthmore College men's basketball team to a 70-66 victory over Muhlenberg on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Memorial Hall.
 
Trailing 65-63 with 2:26 remaining and needing a stop, Muhlenberg (4-3, CC 0-2) was able to draw a charge from senior Karl Barkley and had a golden opportunity to tie or take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the first half. After a missed layup and a Garnet turnover, the Mules got a three from top scorer Monique Killing to earn a 66-65 advantage with just 1:01 left in regulation.
 
But following a Garnet timeout, Swarthmore (3-3, CC 2-1) regained the lead as Yonda blitzed through several Mule defenders and converted a layup from the left side to make it 67-66 with 47 seconds remaining. Sophomore Shane Loeffler rebounded a missed jumper by Killing, and sophomore Chris Bourne and freshman Robbie Walsh made free throws to allow the Garnet to escape with their third straight win.
 
Muhlenberg started the hot and jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead less than five minutes into the game. Jon Schreer nailed a 3-pointer and two free throws to give the Mules an early seven-point cushion at the 15:43 mark.
 
Swarthmore, however, recovered from the slow start and rattled off eight straight to climb back into the game. Yonda took a pass from Loeffler and drilled a shot from downtown  to give the Garnet their first lead at 9-8 before Walsh put the visitors ahead until late in the second half by finishing a 3-point play the old-fashioned way to make it 14-12 with 12:03 on the clock. Swarthmore went up by as many as nine courtesy of a 3-pointer by Barkley that was set up by sophomore Sam Lebryk.
 
The Garnet, who have led at halftime in every game this season, maintained their advantage for nearly the remainder of regulation while being challenged by the Mules throughout the second half. Barkley hit another trey to give Swarthmore its first double-digit lead of the night at 39-29 less than a minute into the frame, but the Mules did not go down without a fight and came within one when Killing converted from beyond the arc to create a 43-42 score with 12:43 left to play. Another 3-pointer from Killing in the waning minutes that temporarily gave Muhlenberg the upper hand would not be enough, as Yonda came through with a clutch basket on the other end that would put the visitors back ahead for good.
 
Yonda, who has set a career high for points in each of the last three games and is scoring at a 13.3 clip during the winning streak, netted 17 for Swarthmore by shooting 5-for-6 from the field and from the line. He also went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Loeffler recorded eight points, four assists and a career-high seven steals, while Bourne finished with 15 points. Walsh was also productive on both ends of the floor, contributing six points, a team-leading eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
Killing paced Muhlenberg in the losing effort with a game-high 28 points. John Hunter just fell shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, and Nick Rindock netted 12.
 
Swarthmore will look to win its fourth straight game when it hosts #12 Dickinson on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.