GLASSBORO, NJ. - Taking the court for the first time since March 5th, the Swarthmore men's basketball team took down Rowan University in the first game of the 2022-23 season by a score of 71-70 on Tuesday, Nov. 8th.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Garnet were led by seniors
George Visconti and
Colin Shaw, with Visconti tallying 23 points and five assists while Shaw posted 20 points. Defensively, the Garnet saw solid production from junior
Michael Caprise, with the 6'6 Virginia native putting up 13 rebounds and two blocks on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Shaw got the Garnet off to a hot start, draining both a jumper and a three pointer to give Swarthmore a 5-2 lead three minutes into the contest. While Rowan countered with a three of their own, Visconti rattled in a triple to put the Garnet back on top 8-5.
- Shaw would continue his offensive clinic, maintaining Swarthmore's advantage with a layup and a jumper to give Swarthmore a 12-7 advantage with 15 minutes left in the half. While Rowan's offense would answer back, closing the margin to 12-9, a recently subbed back in Visconti would knock down five points in quick succession, maintaining a healthy 17-11 lead for Swarthmore.
- Through the first 12 minutes of play, Shaw and Visconti accounted for all 17 of Swarthmore's points.
- While a nearly five minute Swarthmore scoring drought would allow the Owls to get within striking distance at 17-15, first year Cal Hanson would get the offense humming for the Garnet again, easing in a driving layup to extend the Garnet's point total to 19.
- The Garnet would run away with the contest in the last eight minutes of the half, outscoring the Owls 20-14 and going into the break up 39-29. During that period of Swarthmore dominance, Shaw, Visconti and Hanson would all add to their point totals while first-year Eddie Paquette, junior
Vinny DeAngelo, and sophomore Matt Mulvaney would notch buckets for the Garnet.
- Rowan would strike first in the second half, scoring twice before Shaw got the Garnet on the board at 41-33.
- The Garnet would maintain a sizable 50-39 lead through the first five minutes of the half thanks to points from Visconti, first year
George Corzine and Caprise. The Garnet defense also played a crucial role in keeping the Owls in check, with sophomore
Aidan Godfrey notching a crucial block to stem the Rowan attack.
- Rowan began mounting a comeback with 15 minutes left to play, going on a 14-3 run over six minutes to tie the game at 53. Caprise, Godfrey and Visconti would bring the Garnet's lead back to 61-55 before the Owls tied the game up at 64-all with just under four minutes left to play.
- A Shaw layup would recapture the Garnet lead at 66-64, a margain that two free throws from Visconti would extend to 68-64. Two made foul shots for the Owls would close the gap to 68-66, before a Rowan attacker snuck past a stout Garnet defense to once again even the score at 68-68.
- Rowan would take just their second lead of the match off of two made free throws to go up 70-68 with just over one minute to play. This was their first lead since going up 2-0 43 seconds into the contest.
- With just 20 seconds left to play, DeAngleo found Visconti inches beyond the arc, with Visconti rattling in a clutch three to seize back the Garnet's lead at 71-70. While the Owls got off both a jumper and a three pointer, both bounced out, securing the Garnet victory.
GARNET LEADERS
- Points: Visconti (23), Shaw (2),
- Assists: Visconti (5), DeAngelo (5), Paquette (4)
- Rebounds: Caprise (13), Visconti (6), Paquette (5), Corzine (5)
- Blocks: Visconti (2), Godfrey (2), Caprise (2), DeAngleo (2)
- Steals: Paquette (2)
Up Next
The Garnet will host Bowdoin College on Saturday, Nov. 12th at 4:00 p.m. as a part of the Garnet Tip-Off Classic.
