BALTIMORE, Md. – Gettysburg College led No. 18 Swarthmore College for most of the first half of the team's Centennial Conference Championship semifinal match up, but the veteran lineup of the Garnet weathered the storm and caught fire in the second half, hitting over 60 percent of their attempts on the way to an 80-64 decision inside Goldfarb Gym at Johns Hopkins University.
 

                       
Gettysburg's Top Performers

• Avery Close '22 (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville): 22 Points, 5 Rebounds
• Elijah Williams '23 (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends): 15 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Blocks
• Ryan McKeon '24 (Landenburg, Pa./Sanford): 8 Points, 5 Rebounds

 
Swarthmore's Top Performers

• George Visconti: 24 Points, 4 Rebounds
• Vinny DeAngelo: 12 Points, 4 Assists
• Michael Caprise: 10 Points, 16 Rebounds, 4 Assists
• Connor Harkins: 9 Points
• Georgie Corzine: 9 Points, 5 Rebounds

 
Game Summary - First Half

• Making its first postseason appearance in six seasons, Gettysburg roared out of the gate with an early 10-0 run against Swarthmore. The Bullets trailed 8-6 before four different players hit the scorebook, including a three-pointer by freshman Akim Joseph (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Notre Dame Fairfield) which made it 16-8 at 12:25.
• The two teams would be tied nine times in the opening half. After a 24-all deadlock at 6:17, McKeon knocked down a pair of free throws and Close connected on a jumper to give Gettysburg a 28-24 advantage with 4:54 left.
• The lead went back-and-forth in the closing minutes until a jumper by DeAngelo put Swarthmore ahead 34-31 at 1:16. Freshman Rassoul Abakar (Cameroon/Notre Dame Fairfield) connected on a shot on Gettysburg's next possession, but the Garnet closed the half with an offensive rebound and two free throws by Caprise right before the horn.

 
Game Summary - Second Half

• Visconti took over in the second half, racking up nine of his 19 second-half points in the opening five minutes. A three-pointer by the Swarthmore junior capped a 13-0 run and gave his team a 49-33 lead with 15:52 left.
• Williams connected on a pair of three-pointers to push the deficit below double-figures twice, with the final trey making it 58-49 with 7:38 left. Swarthmore went on a 13-2 scoring run with a Visconti three-pointer pushing the lead to 20 (71-51).

 
By the Numbers

• Gettysburg finished 24-of-66 (36.4 percent) from the floor, while Swarthmore 31-of-59 (52.5 percent) field goals, including 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) in the second half. The Garnet also won the rebounding battle 39-34.
• Closed finished 9-of-17 from the floor on the way to his sixth 20-point game of the season. The senior forward fell just shy of the 1,000-point milestone with 986.
• Williams recorded a career high with 15 points, which marked his 10th double-figure scoring effort of the year. He also hit a career high four three-pointers.
• Swarthmore advances to the title game where it will face Johns Hopkins for the fourth consecutive season. The two teams have combined to win the last four Centennial crowns. The Garnet's box score against Gettysburg featured eight players who helped the team to a 28-1 record and the No. 1 ranking in the country in 2019-20.

 
Where the Series Stands
Swarthmore picked up its ninth consecutive win over Gettysburg. The Bullets lead the all-time series 29-26.