Box Score CHESTERTOWN, Md. – Freshman
Matt Brennan scored a career-high 24 points and dished out four assists to propel the Swarthmore College men's basketball team to a convincing 81-62 victory over Washington College on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the Cain Athletic Center.
Swarthmore jumped out to an early lead by forcing Washington College to miss its first nine shots. Senior
Karl Barkley and Brennan combined to can three shots from downtown before James Drury hit the first field goal of the game for the Shoremen to make it 13-6 at the 10:07 mark. Freshman
Zack Yonda later drove in for a layup to give the Garnet a 36-32 lead at the break.
Subbing their players in and out like an ice hockey team, the Garnet relied on their depth and fresh legs to maintain their lead through the remainder of the game. The Shoremen threatened to regain the lead on several occasions, but the Garnet answered with a big shot from long range each time to stay ahead. Brennan made two 3-pointers in a span of 3:02 to keep the visitors in control.
After a David Knox layup, Swarthmore put its foot on the gas pedal and rattled off 11 unanswered to pull away. Sophomore
Chris Bourne capped the run with a jumper to make it 61-47 at the 8:33 mark, which was more than enough insurance for the Garnet to win their third straight game.
Brennan paced Swarthmore by scoring his career-high 24 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, including 5-for-7 from long range, and a perfect 5-for-5 at the line. His four helpers were also a team best. Yonda grabbed a career-high nine rebounds while also netting 15 points, and Barkley and Bourne finished with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Washington College (4-20, CC 4-13) was led by Sean Flanigan and Knox. Flanigan scored 18 points and blocked four shots, while Knox finished with 17 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
Swarthmore (11-13, CC 7-10), which snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Shoremen in Chestertown, will look to end its 2014-15 campaign on a high note when it visits archrival Haverford on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.
