SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Maintaining their perfect 12-0 home record, the Swarthmore men's basketball team took down Franklin & Marshall College 76-62 on Saturday, February 4th.
Offensively, the Garnet were carried by double digit performances from seniors
Michael Caprise (20) and
George Visconti (12), with Visconti also tallying a team leading 4 assists on the night. Caprise also anchored Swarthmore defensively alongside junior
Vinny DeAngelo, with Caprise pulling down a team best 10 rebounds and notching two steals, while DeAngelo put up a stat line of two blocks and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Despite early buckets from senior
Colin Shaw and first year
Cal Hanson giving Swarthmore an early 5-0 lead just over two minutes into the first half, the Diplomats quickly struck back, taking a 7-5 advantage. Both teams would proceed to trade baskets, neither able to secure meaningful separation as the lead changed hands four times over the course of seven minutes.
- With ten minutes left before the break, the Garnet were finally able to gain significant breathing room, going on a 10-1 run to secure a 24-10 advantage with 7:41 left. While a Caprise layup would grow that margin to 11 two minutes later, the Garnet's lead would not hold. F&M's offense roared to life, storming back and tying the game at 34-all with 1:14 left in the first. The Garnet would be unable to respond, as the Diplomats took a 40-34 lead going into the half.
- Eager to show who the better team was, Swarthmore opened up the second half with a 7-0 run before the Diplomats could even get on the board, seizing back the advantage at 41-40. While F&M did manage to take back the lead one more time with a well timed layup, there was no stopping the Garnet train, as Swarthmore outscored their opponents 18-6 through the first 11 minutes of the second, taking a comfortable 54-46 lead with 11:27 left to play. Unable to recover, the Diplomats would never even get within striking distance, with the Garnet ultimately taking the win 76-62.
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Caprise (20), Visconti (12)
Assists: Visconti (4), Paquette (4)
Rebounds: Caprise (10), Shaw (6), Paquette (5), Corzine (8)
Steals: Caprise (2), DeAngelo (2), Paquette (1)
Blocks: DeAngelo (2), Corzine (1)
UP NEXT
Still looking to secure the No. 1 seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs, the Garnet will travel to Ursinus college on Tuesday, Feb. 7th at 8:00 p.m.
