SWARTHMORE, Pa.—For the first time ever, Swarthmore College will have its name etched on the Centennial Conference Championship trophy for men's basketball. The Garnet won their first Centennial title on Saturday night (their first conference title of any kind since 1951), beating the Dickinson College Red Devils 68-64. With the championship win, the Garnet earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament, another program first.
Cam Wiley, who scored a game-high 28 points, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Swarthmore, after establishing a lead for much of the first half, had to claw back from a 11-point second-half deficit to pull off Saturday's victory. A 12-0 run that began with 10:21 remaining was the swing that Swarthmore needed.
The Garnet led by nine with three minutes left in the first half, but Dickinson went on a hot streak to close out the period. The Red Devils went 5-for-5 in the final three minutes, with four of those shots coming from behind the 3-point arc and the other being a two-handed slam dunk on a fastbreak. The Garnet found themselves down by four points at the break and traded baskets with the Red Devils early in the second. The Red Devils gained some separation with a seven-point run run that started with 15 minutes left in the game. The visitors lead reached 11 points with 10:40 to play.
Down, but not out, the Garnet began to make a run. Chris Bourne powered his way through the paint for a layup to begin the pushback. Wiley followed with a fastbreak layup after a steal by Sam Lebryk. Then it was Jim Lammersburying the three-ball to make it a four-point game. A pair of free throws by Wiley with 7:26 to go brought the Garnet within two. Swarthmore finally regained the lead with 6:15 to go. On the defensive end, Robbie Walshrejected a Dickinson shot and Wiley recovered the rebound. Back on offense, Wiley drained the 3-pointer to put Swarthmore ahead 59-58, and the Garnet would not trail the rest of the way.
Dickinson evened the count at 59-59, but Zack Yonda knocked down a three with 4:30 to go to keep the Red Devils at bay. When the Red Devils again pulled within one, Wiley provided the answer in the form of 3-points from straight away. He dribbled slowly up the court, sized up his defender, offered a quick jab step and then pulled up for the long 3-pointer, hitting nothing but net.
On the other end, rim-protector Nate Shafer rejected a Dickinson 3-point attempt from the corner, just one of many important defensive stops by the Garnet down the stretch. Up three with less than 10 seconds to go, Walsh provided a stop in the form of a steal. Yonda then provided an insurance point from the free-throw line and the Garnet held on for the 68-64 win.
Yonda finished with 13 points, going 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. Wiley, whose play drew chants of "MVP" from the rowdy Garnet crowd, shot 6-for-9 from 3-point range and 10-for-16 (62.5 percent) from the floor.
As a team, the Garnet shot 54.8 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range. Dickinson had shot a blazing 70 percent from 3-point range in the first half but cooled down with a 16.7 percent output in the second.
The Garnet recorded six blocks, the 13th game this year they've had at least that many. Shafer led the way with three, Walsh added two and O'Dell one.
Swarthmore, the nation's top rebounding team, again won the rebounding battle, 29-25.
Up next for the Garnet is uncharted territory. Swarthmore will find out on Monday at 12:30 p.m. who its first ever NCAA Tournament opponent will be. The first round of the tournament will begin on Friday at a to-be-determined location and destination.