Swarthmore trailed 50-46 with 14:17 to play in the second half. The Shoremen then hit eight of their next 10 shots from the field and all three of their next three free throws to go up, 70-46, with 10:12 remaining following a bucket and free throw by senior guard John "China" Alexander. The Garnet Tide got back on the board with 9:21 to play when Spencer Gray made one of two free throws. Washington led 77-52 with 5:55 remaining in the game, before both teams began emptying their benches. A late 14-0 surge by the Garnet Tide trimmed the lead down to as few as 11 points, at 77-66 with 1:32 remaining.
Balanced scoring was the theme of the night for the Washington offense as six players reached double figures in scoring in the win. Sophomore forward Joe Breslin led the way with a team-high 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Alexander finished the game with 12 points. Junior forward Jonathan Webb, junior guard Dustin Abbate, senior forward Buck Howanski, and junior guard Travis Moore each scored 11 points. Moore added six rebounds and a game-high six assists.
Matthew Gustafson scored 18 points to lead the Garnet Tide in scoring, while Ian McCormick tallied 14 points. McCormick and Mark Rohde each tied Breslin for game-high honors in rebounds with seven a piece.
The Shoremen, who led 38-34 at the half, shot 58% from the floor in the second half and 50% in the game. Tonight's win marks the first time this season that Washington has shot at least 50% from the field in a game.
Newspaper Box Score Swarthmore vs Washington College 1/6/05 7:30 pm at Cain Athletic Center At Cain Athletic Center WASHINGTON COLLEGE 81, SWARTHMORE 66 SWARTHMORE (1-9, 0-3 CC) Matthew Gustafson 7-14 4-5 18; Ian McCormick 6-13 2-2 14; Spencer Gray 2-5 4-9 8; Matt Kurman 2-10 1-2 5; Dillon McGrew 1-4 1-2 4; Chris Nana-Sinkam 1-1 2-2 4; Brandon Luzar 0-1 4-4 4; Steve Wolf 1-3 2-2 4; Chris Casey 1-4 0-0 2; Arthur Chalmers 0-1 2-2 2; Mark Rohde 0-1 1-7 1; Eric Williams 0-0 0-0 0; Alan Walsh 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-57 23-37 66. WASHINGTON COLLEGE (5-5, 2-1 CC) Joe Breslin 5-9 2-2 14; John Alexander 5-6 2-2 12; Dustin Abbate 3-9 3-4 11; Buck Howanski 4-7 2-3 11; Travis Moore 4-9 2-3 11; Jonathan Webb 4-7 3-5 11; Kyle Stem 2-4 1-1 5; Ryan Nielsen 2-4 0-0 4; Eric Blumenthal 1-4 0-2 2; Scott Polyniak 0-0 0-0 0; Kevin Marshburn 0-0 0-0 0; Drew Hill 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 30-60 15-24 81. Swarthmore.................... 34 32 - 66 Washington College............ 38 43 - 81 3-point goals-Swarthmore 1-12 (Dillon McGrew 1-4; Spencer Gray 0-1; Matt Kurman 0-5; Chris Casey 0-1; Matthew Gustafson 0-1), Washington College 6-20 (Dustin Abbate 2-7; Joe Breslin 2-3; Buck Howanski 1-3; Travis Moore 1-3; Kyle Stem 0-1; Jonathan Webb 0-2; John Alexander 0-1). Fouled out--Swarthmore-None, Washington College-None. Rebounds-Swarthmore 41 (Ian McCormick 7; Mark Rohde 7), Washington College 37 (Joe Breslin 7). Assists-Swarthmore 8 (Matt Kurman 3; Chris Casey 3), Washington College 23 (Travis Moore 6). Total fouls-Swarthmore 19, Washington College 31. A-150