CHESTERTOWN, Md. – Washington College (8-15, 6-10 CC) survived another 20-point second-half outburst by senior Nick Antolini (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) to pull out a 79-70 win over visiting Gettysburg College (12-11, 6-10 CC) in a Centennial Conference men's basketball affair inside the Cain Athletic Center on Saturday.
 
Top Performers – Gettysburg

• Nick Antolini '20 – 27 points, 12-22 FG, 4 rebounds
• Avery Close '21 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) – 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
• Danny Duffey '20 (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) – 10 points, 3 steals

 
Top Performers – Washington

• Alec Lewis – 20 points, 5-9 FG, 4-6 3FG, 6-7 FT
• Daniel Brown – 15 points, 8 rebounds
• Dallas Marshall – 10 points

 
How It Happened…

• First Half
  • Close scored 13 seconds into the game, but Washington countered with an 8-0 run featuring back-to-back three-pointers by Lewis. The Bullets weathered the run and came back to tie the game 12-12 on a dunk by Antolini at 13:46.
  • Gettysburg tied the game at 14-all before the Shoremen seized the upper-hand, building their lead to as many as nine (31-22) following a lay-up by Logan Bunch with 3:58 left in the half.
  • The Bullets whittled the deficit down to four (34-30) on a pair of free throws by Shane Scott (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) with less than a minute to go. Two free throws by Austin Allen gave Washington a 36-30 lead at the break.
• Second Half
  • Gettysburg stayed within striking distance as Antolini began to heat up. The senior hit his first second-half bucket at 16:47 and evened things up at 42-42 with a steal and lay-up just over a minute later. Back-to-back lay-ups by Brown and Wright set the Shoremen back in front, but Antolini hit a pair of jumpers to force another tie. Duffey hit two free throws to push the Bullets in front 48-46 with 12:39 left.
  • Washington converted the next six tallies to break the tie. The Shoremen took a 57-51 lead on a three-pointer by Dallas Marshall midway through the period.
  • Gettysburg didn't let the margin grow, chipping it down to two on four occasions over the next six minutes, the last coming on a three-pointer by Antolini which made it 68-66 with four minutes remaining.
  • Despite forcing a pair of turnovers and holding Washington without a field goal attempt over the next two and a half minutes, Gettysburg was unable to convert on its end. The Shoremen eventually found the rim with Lewis hitting a three-pointer with 1:37 on the clock. Following two free throws by Duffey, Lewis converted an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 74-68 with 79 seconds left. Washington hit its final five free throws to seal the win.

 
By the Numbers

• Gettysburg finished 26-of-52 (50 percent) from the floor, while Washington was 26-of-53 (49.1 percent). The Shoremen held a slight edge in rebounds at 30-29.
• Antolini scored 20 or more points in the second half for the second consecutive game. The senior posted 21 points in the second half against McDaniel on Wednesday and went for 20 on Saturday. In two meetings with Washington, Antolini averaged 27.5 points per game and hit 22-of-44 field goals.
• Antolini finished the game one point shy of 1,000 for his career. He will have an opportunity to become the 26th member of Gettysburg's 1,000-point club at home next week. The last Bullet to achieve the milestone at home was Cody Kiefer '17.
• Gettysburg and Washington remain one game behind Ursinus (12-11, 7-9 CC) for the fifth and final spot in the race for the CC playoffs.

 
Where the Series Stands
Washington swept the regular-season series with Gettysburg for the second consecutive year. The Bullets lead the all-time series 34-18.
 
Next Up
Gettysburg hosts Dickinson College (3-20, 3-13 CC) on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m.