SWARTHMORE, Pa.—For the first seven minutes and 49 seconds of the second half, Swarthmore College Men's Basketball kept the Dickinson College Red Devils without a point in the period. The Garnet had led by just two points at the break but took advantage of the Dickinson scoring drought and built a 19-point lead midway through the second. Swarthmore (14-3, 8-2 Centennial) held on for the 66-53 win, earning an important series sweep over the Red Devils (9-8, 6-4 Centennial).
The Garnet are once again alone in first place in the conference standings following Saturday's win.
Freshman forward Nate Shafer played a huge role in Swarthmore's second half push. Shafer, known for his presence on the defensive end as a rim protector, had a breakout offensive performance, leading all scorers with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) shooting from the floor. He went a perfect 5-for-5 in the second half, scoring the first Garnet basket of the period and then capping the game with a slam dunk for Swarthmore's final bucket.
Zack Yonda added 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Cam Wiley posted 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Swarthmore punished Dickinson on the boards, out-rebounding them 41-21.
The Garnet never trailed in Saturday's game, and led by as many as nine points in the first period following a 3-pointer from Henry Cousineau with 7:31 to play. Swarthmore, however, closed out the period with four more turnovers and a 1-for-9 shooting run. Dickinson pulled within two points and the half concluded with Swarthmore ahead 27-25. At the break, both teams had shot 10-for-26 (38.5 percent) from the floor.
The Garnet pounced on the Red Devils quickly in the second period. A steal by Zack Yonda led to a transition layup for Shafer. The Garnet held the Red Devils to an 0-for-9 shooting start to the period. Swarthmore's lead reached double-digits with 17:26 to play and stayed that way for the remainder of the game.
Swarthmore continues Centennial Conference play on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Washington College.
