GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Freshman Spencer Curto (Yonkers, N.Y./Millbrook) set a Gettysburg College Tip-off Tournament record with eight three-pointers as part of a 28-point night and the Bullets surged late to beat Southern Virginia University 87-81 in the season opener Friday night inside Bream Gym.
 
Top Performers - Gettysburg
- Spencer Curto '23 – 28 points, 9-17 FG, 8-14 3FG
- Avery Close '21 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) – 14 Points, 5 Rebounds
- Elijah Williams '23 (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends) – 12 Points, 9 Rebounds
- Alex Leder '21 – (Bethesda, Md./Bullis) – 10 points, 6 Assists, 5 Rebounds
 
Top Performers – Southern Virginia
- Jamier Cross – 21 points, 7-12 FG, 3-6 3FG
- Ricky Stafford – 18 points, 4 assists
- Sam Armstrong – 17 points
 
How It Happened…

• First Half
  • Gettysburg broke out to a double-figure lead at 18-8 following a steal and lay-up by senior Danny Duffey (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) less than five minutes into the game. Southern Virginia chipped away at the deficit until embarking on an 8-0 run to take a 22-21 lead on a three-pointer by Armstrong.
  • The margin exceeded three only once in the final nine minutes and the Knights walked into the locker room with a 42-40 lead after a lay-up by Cross in the final seconds.
• Second Half
  • Gettysburg came out of the locker room intent on regaining the upper-hand quickly and a nine-point surge did just that. Four different players contributed to the run, including a three-pointer by Curto that made it 49-42.
  • The back-and-forth battle continued, however, as Southern Virginia stayed in the hunt and managed to retake the lead on a three-pointer by Calvin Seamons which made it 53-52 with 13:48 to play.
  • Gettysburg trailed by as many as five in the second half, but the tide turned midway through the period. Back-to-back buckets by Close and a steal and lay-up by sophomore Jack Rooney (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) put Gettysburg ahead 64-61 with 9:11 left.
  • Cross gave the Knights the lead twice on a three-pointer and lay-up in the next two minutes, but a three-pointer by Curto gave Gettysburg the lead for the final time at 69-67 with 7:15 to play. Southern Virginia tied the contest three times over the next five minutes, with the last at 79-79 with 2:46 to go. Curto answered again, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to make it 85-79 with just over a minute left.
  • Gettysburg missed 5-of-7 free throws down the stretch, but the hosts did not allow a field goal over the final 2:46.

 
By the Numbers

• Gettysburg finished 31-of-65 (47.7 percent) from the floor, including 10-of-29 (34.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Southern Virginia shot 24-of-53 (45.3 percent) from the field and knocked down 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) three-point attempts.
• The Bullets dished out 19 assists against 10 turnovers, while turning in 20 points on 16 turnovers by the Knights.
• Curto set the tournament's three-point record by one. The previous mark of seven had been achieved four times, most recently by Isaiah Creasap of Marietta and Rashawn Johnson of Wesley in a head-to-head meeting in 2007. Curto fell one shy of the program record of nine set by Scott Lamond '91 against Elizabethtown in 1990.
• Curto's point total was the most ever by a Gettysburg freshman in the season opener. It was also the most by points scored in the season opener since Alex Zurn '13 dropped 29 against Alvernia in 2011. Curto fell four points shy of Gettysburg's freshman record of 32 set by Andrew Powers '11 against Salem State in the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament.
• Leder and Duffey combined for 12 assists against just two turnovers in the Gettysburg backcourt.

 
Where the Series Stands
Friday's game marked the first-ever matchup between Gettysburg and Southern Virginia.
 
Tournament Talk
Friday's results sets up a potential high-flying offensive affair between Gettysburg and SUNY Geneseo. The Knights out-scored Wilson College 57-27 in the second half on the way to a 92-56 decision in Friday's second game. Terrance Nichols was one of five Knights in double-figures with 20 points, while Joseph Harclerode posted 12 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Gettysburg is in the finals for the 20th time. The Bullets are looking for their 12th title and first since 2015. Geneseo is in the championship for the second time and will look to avenge a 58-56 defeat to the Bullets in the 2008 tip-off tournament.
 
Next Up
Gettysburg will meet Geneseo in Saturday's championship game at 4 p.m. Southern Virginia will meet Wilson in the consolation game Saturday at 2 p.m.