Haverford, Pa. – Swarthmore College ended the game on 15-2 run and erased a 10-point deficit en route to a stunning 69-66 come-from-behind win over Clark University in the opening game of the 19th annual Equinox Classic on Friday evening.

The Cougars, who led by as many as 15 in the second half, went cold down the stretch and didn't convert a basket over the final 4:45 of the contest. Conversely, Swarthmore shot a sizzling 55 percent in the final 20 minutes and took the lead for good when Will Gates finished inside to give the Garnet a 65-64 edge – their first in nearly 23 minutes of game action.

Although Clark didn't shoot well in the opening stanza (32 percent), they went 14-for-18 from the line to help build a 32-28 halftime lead.

The Cougars then methodically built their advantage in the second half starting with a dunk from D.J. Bailey (Palmer, Mass.) in the opening moments of the frame and capped with a Drew Billington (Fairfield, Conn.) layup to make the score 51-36 with 13 minutes left.

Five minutes later the Cougar edge still stood at 12 at 58-46 following a Bailey layup and Jake Gubitose (Fiskdale, Mass.) dropped in a jumper two minutes later to push the lead back to double figures after a brief Swarthmore spurt.

Clark, however, would convert only one more basket the rest of the way – a Brian Vayda (Sturbridge, Mass.) layup – while the Garnet, behind Gates, went on their game-changing run to secure their best start (3-0) since 1996.

Gates finished with a game-high 27 points, while Jay Kober added 14 points and Jordan Martinez chipped in with nine points and a game-high six assists.

The Cougars were paced by Vayda's 22 points and seven rebounds and Mitch Renshaw (Rutland, Mass.), who tallied ten points and six rebounds before fouling out.

Clark (1-2) will look to snap their brief two-game slide when they return to the hardwood on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. matchup with Haverford College, who lost 67-62 to Washington & Lee in the Classic's second game.