CLEVELAND, OH – Junior forward Tom Summers (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) recorded game-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds and freshman point guard Mike Byrne (Newton, PA/Holy Ghost) hit the go-ahead jumper with 24 seconds remaining as the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team defeated Earlham College (IN) in the opening round of the 2010 Bill Sudeck Holiday Tournament on Wednesday, December 29 at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 3-6 and will play Geneva College (PA) in the tourney championship game tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Earlham drops to 2-8 and will face Kalamazoo College (MI) in the consolation match at 2:00 p.m.

Summers' 22 points tied a career-high and the double-double was his first of the season and 13th of his career. In addition, senior wing Reid Anderson (Avon Lake, OH/St. Edward) scored 13 points.
Earlham was paced by Ryan Taylor and Justin Barger with 13 points apiece.

Both sides started slow and Earlham led 11-4 when Kyle Tucker nailed a three-pointer at the 10:15 mark. Case came back with an 11-2 run, ending in a Summers (pictured right) layup at 5:14 that made the score 15-13. The Spartan lead grew to 21-16 when Summers scored another layup at 2:25. The two teams exchanged buckets down the stretch and Case led 25-22 at the break.

Case's lead grew to a high of 10, at 53-43, when Anderson hit a triple with 9:42 left to play. Earlham chipped away and got to within 55-53 following a Barger three-pointer at 5:02. The Spartans briefly re-built their advantage to five, at 58-53, when Anderson (pictured left) hit a free throw with 3:46 left to play.

Undaunted, the Quakers rallied with an 8-2 run and grabbed a 61-60 lead when Colton Bragg hit a layup with just 47 seconds remaining. The Spartans took the following possession and went back on top for good when Byrne sunk a mid-range jumper with 24 ticks left on the clock. Case then held Earlham without a bucket on its next possession, while Byrne hit two free throws with four seconds left to secure the win.