CHESTER, Pa.--Swarthmore College Men's Basketball started the 2015-16 season out with a win against nearby Widener College, topping the Pride 76-68 on Wednesday night.

Swarthmore forward Chris Bourne led all scorers with 24 points on 12-of-17 shooting (70.6 percent) and nearly had a double-double by pulling down nine rebounds. Bourne proved to be hard to stop in the second half. He scored 18 of his points in that period.

Three other Garnet players contributed double-digit points. Point guard Matt Brennan knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 18 points. Zack Yonda scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and dealt out four assists. Robbie Walsh chipped in 10 points and had five rebounds and two blocks.

One key to Swarthmore's success on the evening was its dominance on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. The Garnet out-rebounded the Pride 41-30, and 16 of those Garnet rebounds were of the offensive variety. Sean Thaxter played 18 minutes off the bench and gathered eight rebounds in that time. Thaxter and Bourne extended possessions as each recorded four offensive rebounds.

Swarthmore distanced itself from Widener five minutes into the first half with a 14-0 run sparked by five straight points from Zack Yonda. Widener inched back into the game by the end of the period, and with a tip-in at the halftime buzzer, the Pride pulled within two points of the Garnet.

After returning to the court for the second half with a 37-33 lead, the Garnet surged for 12 unanswered points in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the period. Sam Lebryk capped off the run by knocking down a 3-pointer from the wing which gave Swarthmore its biggest lead of the game, 47-33.

Widener pushed to within six points with 5:25 to go. Two field goals in the paint over the next minute-and-a-half by Bourne helped keep the Pride at bay and the Garnet sealed the game by making six free throws down the stretch.

Swarthmore (1-0) hosts Centenary College on Saturday at 6 p.m.