WASHINGTON, D.C.–In a showdown of two nine-win teams, the 18th-ranked Swarthmore College men's basketball team (10-1) earned a commanding, 88-51 win over the homestanding Catholic Cardinals (9-3) on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
The Garnet controlled nearly every facet in their final nonconference game of the regular season. Entering the game as the NCAA Division III leader in rebounding margin, Swarthmore again won the battle on the boards, 46-31, and held the Cardinals to a paltry 22.6 percent shooting. On the other end, the Garnet shot 53.6 percent from the field, including 45.8 percent (11-of-24) behind the arc.
The team posted a season-high 25 assists on 37 made baskets and registered eight blocks, with three apiece coming from
Robbie Walsh and
Nate Shafer. Swarthmore also held a 44-14 margin in points in the paint and generated 19 points off of turnovers, compared to Catholic's six.
Five Swarthmore players scored in double figures as
Cam Wiley led the way with 17 points and seven dimes.
Matt Brennan drained three treys en route to 15 points,
Robbie Walsh chipped in 13 points and eight boards and
Zac O'Dell finished a perfect 5-of-5 for 11 points in 16 minutes.
Zack Yonda put up 10 points, including a three-pointer from beyond half court right at the end of the first half.
The Garnet set the tone early with a 16-0 streak in the first half and capped off the period on a 14-2 run punctuated by Yonda's long-distance buzzer beater. In the second half, the Garnet continued to build their lead while smothering the Cardinals' offense. Back-to-back threes by Wiley with just under five minutes remaining made it 86-46 for Swarthmore and
Sam Lebryk's layup on the next possession gave the visitors their biggest lead of the game. Catholic scored the last five points of the night from the line for the final margin.
No. 18 Swarthmore looks to carry the momentum into the Centennial Conference slate when it remains on the road for a contest at Gettysburg on Saturday, Jan. 7.
