GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Junior Nick Antolini (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) and sophomore Avery Close (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) each registered double-doubles to help the Gettysburg College men's basketball team win its opening round game of the 28th annual Gettysburg Tip-Off Tournament against Ithaca College, 92-84. Tonight's victory marked the first for head coach B.J. Dunne in the Orange and Blue.
 
In the other first round contest, Randolph-Macon College topped Albright College, 82-69. Five players for the Yellow Jackets scored in double-figures as Buzz Anthony lead the team with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.  
 
Antolini and Close played lights out for the Bullets as both combined for 54 points. Antolini continues to be a scoring threat as he netted a career-high 29 points, hitting 12-of-22 from the field, tying a career-high in rebounds with 11, dished three assists, and a steal. He has garnered double-doubles in two of the four games so far this season. Close also posted career-highs in points with 25, going 8-of-12 from the field, and in rebounds (11). He also blocked a team-best three shots and added a steal. Junior Nick Lord (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) chipped in 10 points.
 
As a team, Gettysburg went 32-of-66 from the field (48.5 percent), 19-of-22 from the free throw line (86.4 percent), and dominated on the glass by taking the 48-33 advantage.
 
Riley Thompson paced the Bombers as he collected 25 points, while Bryan Karl and Peter Ezema accumulated 22 and 18 points, respectively. The trio scored 65 of the 84 points for Ithaca. Sebastian Alderete tallied a team-high six rebounds.
 
Facing off for the first time since the 1991-92 season, the Bullets jumped to a quick 8-0 run in the first 1:49 of the opening half. But the Bombers responded right back by going on a 9-0 run of their own to take the 9-8 advantage with 16:24 on the clock.
 
Gettysburg regained control as they went on a decisive 13-2 run that included three treys from sophomore Chris Jack (Reckange-sur-Mess, Luxembourg/The Hun School of Princeton), junior Andrew Gardiner (Los Angeles, Calif./Wesleyan University), and Antolini during the next several minutes to lead 21-11.

The Bullets then had a scoring drought of nearly five minutes, which allowed the Bombers to creep back within three points, 21-18 with under 8:45 left in the stanza.
 
From the 4:15 marker until the end of the half, the Bombers outscored the Bullets 15-9. Gettysburg closed off the half by knocking down a pair of free throws from Antolini and a 3-pointer from Close, but that wasn't enough as they headed into halftime down, 41-40.  
 
In a second half that featured 11 lead changes and several momentum shifts, the Bullets stayed tough on their way to their first victory of the season. The final five minutes were physical as the Bombers tried sneaking their way back into the contest numerous times, but the Bullets stood their ground and never gave up the lead. A big momentum curve occurred for the Bullets with 3:31 remaining as Close threw one down, bringing a burst of energy and enthusiasm to his teammates and the crowd. Riley Thompson notched back-to-back baskets at the 30 and 14-second marker, respectively, to get within five, but a free throw by Antolini and a pair of free throws from freshman Jack Rooney (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) in the final 12 seconds sealed the deal for Gettysburg.
 
The Bullets will play against Randolph-Macon in the championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. while Ithaca and Albright compete in the consolation contest at 2 p.m.