Morgan Scores 19 Points, Knocks Down Five Three-Pointers in Victory

CHESTERTOWN, Md. -- Sophomore forward Pat Morgan (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) scored a game-high 19 points and knocked down a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining to put host Washington College ahead for good as the Shoremen rallied for a 73-68 Centennial Conference men's basketball victory over visiting Swarthmore College tonight inside Cain Athletic Center. The Shoremen improved to 5-13 overall and 4-7 in conference play with the win, while the Garnet fell to 5-13 and 2-9 with the loss. 

Swarthmore scored 16 of the game's first 18 points, building a 14-point lead following a pair of free throws by Seth Liebert with 13:36 to play in the first half. Washington countered with a 12-2 spurt, trimming the margin to 18-14 following a pair of free throws by freshman guard Bryan Shapiro (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Lower Merion) with 10:10 on the clock, but the Garnet immediately answered with 10 straight points to build a 28-14 cushion on a Sam Lebryk jumper with 7:41 left in the period. Swarthmore later extended the lead to 15 points before Washington went on a 10-1 run, cutting the lead to 34-28 on a free throw by junior guard John Weston (Tampa, Fla./Bolles School) with 3:01 left before halftime. Lebryk closed the period with a three-pointer three seconds before the buzzer to set the Swarthmore lead at 41-32 at the intermission.

The Garnet scored the first five points of the second half, pushing the lead back to 14 points at 46-32 on a lay-up by Lebryk with 19:01 to go. Washington then held the Garnet off the scoreboard for a span of 5:59, trimming the margin to 46-40 with 13:13 left on a lay-up by senior forward Tony Hawkins (Mt. Ephraim, N.J./Haddon Township). Swarthmore built its final double-digit lead of the game when Luke McCartin made the first of two free throws with 11:04 to go, upping the lead to 53-43. The Shoremen scored the next five points to trim the margin to 55-50 on a lay-up by sophomore forward Dave Knox (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) with 8:18 left and finally made it a one-possession ballgame when Knox made one of two free throws with 5:12 to go to make it 55-52. After a pair of free throws by Joe Keedy bumped the lead to five points at 57-52 with 4:53 left, Morgan and Ethan Lee exchanged three-pointers to set the score at 60-55 in favor of the Garnet with just over four minutes to play. Two free throws by Weston and two more by junior guard Sean Brooks (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) got Washington to within a point with 3:14 remaining, but a lay-up by Liebert with 2:31 to go gave Swarthmore a 62-59 advantage. 

Junior guard Sean Flanigan (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark's) then tied the game for the first time since the opening tip when he drained a three-pointer with 2:02 to play. A pair of free throws by Chris Bourne put Swarthmore back in front, 64-62, before a Morgan lay-up on the other end evened the score at 64-64 with 1:32 left. Keedy made one of two free throws with 1:00 on the clock to put Swarthmore back in front before Morgan nailed the go-ahead three-pointer, giving the Shoremen their first lead of the contest at 67-65. Lebryk made the second of two free throws with 23 seconds to play. Flanigan then threw an inbounds pass nearly the entire length of the court over the Swarthmore defense that was caught by Knox and converted for a lay-up with 20 seconds to go, giving Washington a three-point lead at 69-66. Brooks stole the ball from Libert with 12 seconds left, was fouled, and made both free throws to all but seal the win for Washington. Bourne made a lay-up with three seconds on the clock and Knox hit a pair of free throws with one second remaining to provide the final margin. 

Morgan shot 7-for-12 from the field, including five-for-eight from beyond the arc, en route to his 19 points. Hawkins added 16 points, a team-best eight rebounds, and a career- and game-high three blocked shots in the win. Knox finished with 11 points off the bench for Washington, going 7-for-8 at the charity stripe, while Brooks dished out a game- and career-best seven assists against no turnovers to go along with seven points.

Lebryk paced Swarthmore with 15 points, while Bourne had a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 boards. Liebert added 14 points, while McCartin finished with 12. Keedy tallied nine points and 10 boards for the Garnet. 

Washington won the game despite shooting just 9-for-27 from two-point range in the contest. The Shoremen were 10-for-19 from three-point range and went to the line 33 times, converting 25 free throws. Swarthmore held a 39-21 advantage on the boards, but the Washington defense pressured the Garnet into 20 turnovers while the Shoremen committed just six as a team. 

The Shoremen return to action Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. Centennial Conference home game against Dickinson.