CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Swarthmore College men's basketball team started the game with 13 unanswered points and fended off a late rally to defeat Washington College, 76-55, in Centennial Conference action on Thursday night. It was the third straight win for the Garnet and they swept the season series against the Shoremen.
It was a game of runs as Swarthmore got out to a 13-0 advantage. Washington came within five before the Garnet pulled away for a 15-point halftime cushion. Swarthmore led by as many as 26 in the second half before the Shoremen cut it to 10 with just under five minutes to go. However, the Garnet stopped the rally down the stretch to earn the victory.
Michael Caprise recorded his fourth 20-point effort of the season, finishing with 21 on 8-of-12 shooting. He also tied his season high with 15 rebounds to pick up his seventh double-double.
Vinny DeAngelo poured in 19 points and dished six assists while
Nyle Coleman totaled 12 points. Coleman shot 4-for-5, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Garnet came out hot, dropping the first 13 points of the contest over the opening four minutes. Caprise led the stretch with five points as Swarthmore shot 4-for-5 from the field, including hitting both of its three-point attempts.
- Washington found its rhythm after the 16-minute mark, coming back with a 9-1 run to close the gap to five (14-9). However, the Garnet followed with nine of the next 11 to make it 23-11 with 10:02 on the clock. All of Swarthmore's points came from beyond the arc as DeAngelo drilled a pair of threes and
Cal Hanson added another.
- After four points from the Shoremen, the Garnet went on another 9-2 surge for their largest lead of the half (32-17) with 3:47 to go. Caprise scored back-to-back layups,
Aidan Godfrey converted two free throws, and Coleman sank a three. The margin was still 15 (39-24) at the intermission. Caprise led all players in the period with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
- Swarthmore started strong again in the second half, posting 18 of the opening 25 points to up its lead to 26 (57-31) at the 13:07 mark. The Garnet shot 6-of-10 during the stretch with five different players contributing.
- Washington did not go away quietly, however, mustering a 23-7 rally to cut the deficit to 10 (64-54) with 4:49 to play. The Shoremen shot 7-of-12, including 5-of-8 from three-point distance, and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line during the run. At the other end, the Washington defense limited Swarthmore to just 3-of-12 from the field with four turnovers.
- The Garnet recovered in time though, following the Shoremen comeback attempt with nine straight points, five coming on free throws, to restore a 19-point advantage (73-54) with 1:38 remaining. Washington's magic ran out as it went 0-for-5 with two turnovers during the sequence.
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Caprise 21, DeAngelo 19
Rebounds: Caprise 15
Assists: DeAngelo 6
Threes: DeAngelo 4
UP NEXT
Swarthmore (11-7, 8-3 Centennial) continues its road trip on Saturday with a 3 p.m. matchup at Gettysburg College.
