Swarthmore College Athletics

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College men's basketball team held off Farmingdale State College, 66-64, in a tight, non-conference showdown on Thursday night. The game featured 15 lead changes and nine ties with neither team leading by more than seven points.  

Devin Burger was responsible for the 15th and final lead change with a game-winning bucket as time expired. The junior tallied eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds on the evening. 

Cal Hanson led the way with 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Eddie Paquette and Caleb Aurelien also scored in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. 

The Garnet leaned heavily on the three ball with a season-high 45 attempts from long range. The team surpassed its previous high of 42 attempts against Albright College. Today's total marked the most three-pointers the team has attempted dating back to the 2011-12 season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams exchanged leads early in a matchup that remained tight the entire way. Hanson connected from three-point range to give the Garnet their first lead. The Rams then answered with a bucket, before Burger put Swarthmore back ahead with another triple, 10-8. 

- Paquette hit from deep to give the Garnet a three-point lead with 14:37 left. Farmingdale then flipped momentum in its favor with six-straight points to pull ahead by three, 18-15. Swarthmore went back in front with back-to-back buckets from Nyle Coleman and Ryan Chu. Farmingdale then countered with a three-pointer on the following possession for the game's tenth lead change with 5:16 remaining. 

- Hanson drained a corner three off an inbounds play to put the Garnet on top. However, the Rams soon recaptured the lead on their following possession for the game's 12th lead change. Faced with a one-point deficit, Chu tilted the game in Swarthmore's favor with a bucket off a goaltending violation at the 3:14 mark. 

- Farmingdale matched Swarthmore's largest lead of the half with a three-point advantage. Aurelien then knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game with 1:57 left. Moments later, the Rams regained the lead with a triple until Paquette battled for an offensive rebound and cashed in a three-point play to tie the game. Farmingdale added a late bucket to exit halftime with a two-point lead for the game's 14th lead change, 34-32.

- Swarthmore took a four-point lead after a pair of Paquette free throws and an Aurelien jumper with 13:46 left. Moments later, Chu hit from long range to give the Garnet a five-point lead, 45-40.

- With 10:08 remaining, Hanson added another three-pointer to take a five-point lead. Farmingdale immediately answered back with a triple of its own, before Paquette scored on a driving layup to take a two-possession advantage, 52-48.

- The Rams tied the game with four-straight points off free throws. Burger then put an end to Swarthmore's drought with a go-ahead jumper, while Zander Jimenez buried a three on the team's next possession, 57-52. At the 3:32 mark, Jimenez gave Swarthmore its largest lead with a corner three-pointer, 62-55.

- Once again, Farmingdale tightened the game with five-unanswered points to pull within two at the 1:44 mark. The Rams were held scoreless until knocking down a pair of free throws to tie the game with 7.9 seconds left. 

- Burger won the game for the Garnet with a last-second layup to seal a wild victory. Brady Kageyama drove the length of the court, but had his shot blocked into the hands of a waiting Burger, who banked in the game-winning layup. 

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GARNET LEADERS
Points: Hanson 13
Rebounds: Burger 11
Assists: Coleman 4
Steals: Coleman 3

UP NEXT
The Garnet (6-3) return from holiday break against Cairn University on December, 30.