BY ANNYIKA CORBETT

In print | February 21, 2008

Over the past week the Swarthmore men’s basketball team has been getting busy on the court, dominating visiting Muhlenberg College on Feb. 13 and then giving Gettysburg, the number two team in the Centennial Conference, a tough game on Feb. 16. As Steve Wolf ‘08 said, "We played two good games. Even though it’s a bit late in the season, we’re really starting to develop as a team."

The Muhlenberg game, which ended with a 72-57 Swarthmore triumph, was a shining example of this developing team unity. As Ian McCormick ’08 and Raul Ordonez ’09 dominated the glass, pulling down 15 and 13 rebounds respectively, Sam Lacy ’11 kept the Mules on their toes with his pressure and hustle.

A close game at halftime (33-31 Muhlenberg), the Garnet men came out of the locker room ready to play, hitting key shots from both the inside and the outside. Along with their impressive shooting, the guards played their part by keeping the turnovers down, resulting in the second lowest team turnover total this season.

Lacy described the rousing win, saying, “We came out intense and stayed intense for forty minutes, which we haven’t done all season.”

While the Gettysburg game was a tough loss, it was also one for the record books. McCormick broke the school record for career rebounds, surpassing the mark set by Rob Ruffin ’92 of 768. McCormick now has 770 and counting.

He currently holds numerous school records, including career blocks, blocks in season, as well as his new career rebound record to go along with his superb outside shooting, all the more impressive in light of his center position.

Saturday was also a big scoring day for Matt Kurman ‘08, second only to McCormick in total points for the team. Ordonez had yet another terrific rebounding game as the men battled the Bullets. Unfortunately, despite their valiant efforts, the Swarthmore men had a tough time getting the ball in the basket. "The effort was there. We just couldn’t convert open shots," said guard Matt Allen ’10. A close game up until the final four minutes, in which Gettysburg outscored Swarthmore 14-3, the final score was 69-55, Gettysburg.

Coming off of these great efforts, the Garnet men are getting geared up for their last game of the season. “We’re looking forward to smashing Haverford this Saturday around 4-ish,” says forward Matt Turner ’10.

Following an alumni game at 11:30 a.m. and a women’s game at 2:00 p.m., the Swarthmore men will take on rival Haverford at 4:00 on the Garnet’s home court.

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