Nov 15, 2013
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GETTYSBURG, Pa. — There were plenty of things the Elizabethtown men's basketball team did well Friday night, including controlling the interior game. The Blue Jays' starting front line, led by Andrew Mantz's 15 points, combined for 38 points and E-town outrebounded Gettysburg by nine in an 82-55 season-opening runaway victory over the Bullets at Bream Gymnasium.
With its first season-opening victory in three seasons, the Blue Jays advanced to Saturday's championship game at the Gettysburg Tip Off Tournament, where they will face the DeSales/Penn State Harrisburg winner at 4 p.m.
Elizabethtown (1-0) trailed for the opening 4:40, but a 3-pointer from Schwalm put the Jays ahead 9-8 and they took off from there. Schwalm hit another three, and Tyler Simpkiss laid in a pass from Evan Hathaway plus a foul during an 11-0 run that put the visitors up 15-8 nearing the halfway point of the first half.
Successive treys by the Bullets' Tanner Kirkpatrick tied the game at 20, before E-town scored the next seven points on layups by Simpkiss and Lee Eckert, and one of Joe Bodnar's two 3-pointers, to retake control.
The Blue Jays' experience against the Bullets' youth was on full display in the first half. E-town shot 56.5 percent from the floor, making 13-of-23 attempts (4-of-10 from three), while Gettysburg was limited to six baskets on 20 tries (30%). Ten of the 14 Blue Jays to find their way onto the court Friday were upperclassmen. The Bullets were quite contrary, with eight of their 11 players being freshmen or sophomores.
Ahead 39-27 at the half, Elizabethtown kept its foot on the gas in scoring 11 of the first 12 points in the second half to increase its lead to 49-28. Even a pair of Gettysburg timeouts couldn't slow the Jays.
Point guard Phil Wenger set up a quick 37-second spurt just over three minutes into the half with his play at both ends of the court, as the Blue Jays scored seven points to go ahead by more than 20.
Wenger hit Bodnar with a great backdoor feed for a layup, then swiped a ball from Connor Poston before finding Mantz inside for an easy lay in. On Gettysburg's next possession, Wenger picked off an errant pass from Joe Emerusabe and penetrated before stopping and sending the ball back out to the left wing where Schwalm buried another three.
In 22 minutes, Wenger filled his stat sheet with five steals, four assists and four points. Led by Schwalm's three 3-pointers, Elizabethtown hit 10-of-18 (55.6%) from downtown.
Staked to a comfortable lead, head coach Bob Schlosser was able to get some of his younger guys minutes late in career win No. 342. Hathaway, Andrew Fry, Tommy James and Matt Ziegler each scored their first career baskets. Matt Lane scored his first career points from the free throw line.
The Blue Jays were in position to expand their bench because of the play of their starters and key reserves. Simpkiss scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting to match Mantz for the team high. Mantz led the blue and gray on the boards with eight. Eckert totaled 12 points and seven boards. On the night, E-town outrebounded Gettysburg 34-25 and outscored the Bullets 32-12 in the paint.
Schwalm was the fourth Elizabethtown player in double figures with 11 points.
Kirkpatrick was the only Gettysburg player to reach double figures, as he scored a game-high 17. Cody Kiefer and Poston followed with eight each for the Bullets, who failed to score 30 points in either half.
E-town's season-opening win was its first since 2010-11 when it beat Penn State Harrisburg 83-70. The 82 points were also a high for the Jays in a season debut dating back to that game on Nov. 15, 2010, and the 27-point margin of victory was the largest by Elizabethtown since a 43-point triumph (108-65) over Rutgers-Camden Jan. 10, 2011.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — There were plenty of things the Elizabethtown men's basketball team did well Friday night, including controlling the interior game. The Blue Jays' starting front line, led by Andrew Mantz's 15 points, combined for 38 points and E-town outrebounded Gettysburg by nine in an 82-55 season-opening runaway victory over the Bullets at Bream Gymnasium.
With its first season-opening victory in three seasons, the Blue Jays advanced to Saturday's championship game at the Gettysburg Tip Off Tournament, where they will face the DeSales/Penn State Harrisburg winner at 4 p.m.
Elizabethtown (1-0) trailed for the opening 4:40, but a 3-pointer from Schwalm put the Jays ahead 9-8 and they took off from there. Schwalm hit another three, and Tyler Simpkiss laid in a pass from Evan Hathaway plus a foul during an 11-0 run that put the visitors up 15-8 nearing the halfway point of the first half.
Successive treys by the Bullets' Tanner Kirkpatrick tied the game at 20, before E-town scored the next seven points on layups by Simpkiss and Lee Eckert, and one of Joe Bodnar's two 3-pointers, to retake control.
The Blue Jays' experience against the Bullets' youth was on full display in the first half. E-town shot 56.5 percent from the floor, making 13-of-23 attempts (4-of-10 from three), while Gettysburg was limited to six baskets on 20 tries (30%). Ten of the 14 Blue Jays to find their way onto the court Friday were upperclassmen. The Bullets were quite contrary, with eight of their 11 players being freshmen or sophomores.
Ahead 39-27 at the half, Elizabethtown kept its foot on the gas in scoring 11 of the first 12 points in the second half to increase its lead to 49-28. Even a pair of Gettysburg timeouts couldn't slow the Jays.
Point guard Phil Wenger set up a quick 37-second spurt just over three minutes into the half with his play at both ends of the court, as the Blue Jays scored seven points to go ahead by more than 20.
Wenger hit Bodnar with a great backdoor feed for a layup, then swiped a ball from Connor Poston before finding Mantz inside for an easy lay in. On Gettysburg's next possession, Wenger picked off an errant pass from Joe Emerusabe and penetrated before stopping and sending the ball back out to the left wing where Schwalm buried another three.
In 22 minutes, Wenger filled his stat sheet with five steals, four assists and four points. Led by Schwalm's three 3-pointers, Elizabethtown hit 10-of-18 (55.6%) from downtown.
Staked to a comfortable lead, head coach Bob Schlosser was able to get some of his younger guys minutes late in career win No. 342. Hathaway, Andrew Fry, Tommy James and Matt Ziegler each scored their first career baskets. Matt Lane scored his first career points from the free throw line.
The Blue Jays were in position to expand their bench because of the play of their starters and key reserves. Simpkiss scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting to match Mantz for the team high. Mantz led the blue and gray on the boards with eight. Eckert totaled 12 points and seven boards. On the night, E-town outrebounded Gettysburg 34-25 and outscored the Bullets 32-12 in the paint.
Schwalm was the fourth Elizabethtown player in double figures with 11 points.
Kirkpatrick was the only Gettysburg player to reach double figures, as he scored a game-high 17. Cody Kiefer and Poston followed with eight each for the Bullets, who failed to score 30 points in either half.
E-town's season-opening win was its first since 2010-11 when it beat Penn State Harrisburg 83-70. The 82 points were also a high for the Jays in a season debut dating back to that game on Nov. 15, 2010, and the 27-point margin of victory was the largest by Elizabethtown since a 43-point triumph (108-65) over Rutgers-Camden Jan. 10, 2011.