SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College men's basketball team wrapped up the calendar year with a 89-69 victory over Cairn University on Monday afternoon. Both teams entered the game with a 6-3 overall record. 

Zander Jimenez dropped a career-high 22 points, while shooting 8-of-14 from the field. The rookie recorded the team's highest single-game point total of the season. Eddie Paquette also contributed 16 points, while Brady Kageyama and Devin Burger added 14 and 11 points, respectively. 

Caleb Aurelien was a force on the offensive and defensive glass with a career-high 14 rebounds. The sophomore grabbed six offensive rebounds to lead the Garnet to a 16-7 advantage in the category. 

The Garnet overcame the Highlanders with a 15-7 advantage in turnovers. Swarthmore held a lopsided 17-3 edge in points off turnovers. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Cairn held an early lead after pulling ahead with a three-pointer at the 17:07 mark. Jimenez then put the Garnet ahead twice with a pair of jumpers until Cal Hanson expanded the team's lead to five points with a three ball at the 13:29 mark.

- The Highlanders rallied for 11-unanswered points to put themselves in front by six points. However, Swarthmore answered with seven-straight points. Jimenez and Hanson both added a pair of jumpers, while Burger connected from long range, 21-20. 

- Hanson knocked down another triple to take a four-point lead with 7:07 left. Kageyama then sparked a 7-0 swing with a three-pointer to lead the Garnet to its first double-digit lead, 33-23. 

- Cairn made a final push before halftime to trim its deficit to four points. The Highlanders ended the final four minutes on a 10-4 run. The Garnet went into intermission with a 37-33 advantage. 

- The Highlanders took the lead with the first six points of the second half. However, Swarthmore settled in with a pair of Kageyama threes to regain its lead until Cairn rallied for eight-straight points to pull ahead by four with 13:59 left. 

- Swarthmore titled momentum in its favor with eight-straight of its own. Burger opened the run with a three-pointer, while Aurelien followed with a go-ahead, and-one layup. Nyle Coleman then capped off the run with a jumper, 53-49. 

- With eight minutes left, the Highlanders connected from deep to pull within a point. Moments later, Burger and Jimenzez countered with consecutive three-pointers to spark 15-straight points. Jimenez closed the four-minute run with another triple to put the Garnet ahead by 16 points with 3:14 left. 

- Swarthmore cruised to victory after gaining separation from the Highlanders. Matt Mulvey put an exclamation point on a thrilling second half with a three-pointer to put his squad ahead by a game-high 20 points with 38 seconds left. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Swarthmore Athletics (@swatathletics)

GARNET LEADERS
Points: Jimenez 22
Rebounds: Aurelien 14
Assists: Kageyama 4
Steals: Coleman, Paquette, Jimenez 2

UP NEXT
The Garnet (7-3) head to California to open the new year. Swarthmore opens its two-game trip against Pomona-Pitzer on Friday, before finishing at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday.