Championship Central

Release courtesy of Swarthmore Athletic Communications

BALTIMORE - The No. 15 Swarthmore College men's basketball team stunned No. 7 Johns Hopkins University with a massive second-half comeback to take home the Centennial Conference Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Garnet trailed by 13 points at halftime, before outscoring the Blue Jays 49-33 in the final stanza.

Vinny DeAngelo was phenomenal for the Garnet and was crowned Tournament Most Valuable Player. The junior tallied a game-high 26 points - including 22 points in the second half to secure the victory for the Garnet. DeAngelo struggled from beyond the arc, but saved his lone three-pointer for the biggest moment as he sank a go-ahead triple with 1:06 left in the contest. 

Michael Caprise played a massive role in the Garnet's ability to turn the game around in the second half. Swarthmore leaned on the big man late in the game as they ran a lot of their offensive possessions through the post position. The junior scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half as he posed a problem for the Blue Jays down low. George Corzine also caused headaches for Hopkins' defense as he added 13 points in a physical performance off the bench. 

George Visconti was the fourth member of the Garnet to score in double figures with 11 points. Swarthmore leaned on the senior heavily in the opening half as the team struggled offensively. 

The men's basketball program captured their first Centennial Championship since 2019 as they provided a much-deserved championship to their talented and dedicated group of upperclassmen. The Garnet will await their opponent as they punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Swarthmore took their punches early as they fell behind 8-0 in the first two minutes of the game. Visconti helped calm the storm with the team's first bucket at the 17:51 mark, while Corzine answered with another bucket moments later. However, Johns Hopkins maintained pressure as they built their lead to 12 points with a three-pointer at the 10:55 mark. 

- With the Blue Jays rallying, Visconti once again calmed things down with a massive and-one layup to trim their deficit to nine points. The Garnet eventually pulled within five points on an Eddie Paquette jumper until the Blue Jays went on another run to expand their lead to 16 points with 1:47 left.

- With a 16-point deficit staring them down before intermission, the Garnet got to work following a timeout with 1:58 left. DeAngelo got involved out of the timeout with back-to-back buckets for his only points of the half. Aidan Godfrey then answered off the bench with a pivotal corner three-pointer to pull within 11 points and give the Garnet some life heading into halftime. The Blue Jays would answer with one final bucket at their end as they headed into the locker room with a 40-27 advantage.

- DeAngelo decreased their deficit to single digits with a jumper at the 18:05 mark, while Corzine added a hook shot to pull within seven points, 43-36. Despite putting together a couple runs, the Garnet struggled to maintain a consistent attack. The Blue Jays eventually built their lead to 13 points, before Colin Shaw answered with a big time three-pointer to settle the Garnet. Moment later, Visconti would add another three-pointer to come within single digits of the Blue Jays, 59-50. 

- With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Garnet desperately needed a sustained run. DeAngelo answered the call with back-to-back driving layups before a Visconti foul shot to put the Garnet within five points with 9:05 left DeAngelo then added a driving layup to make it a one-possession game, 60-57.

- Hopkins found themselves leading by six points after a three-pointer with 6:06 left. In need of points, Corzine responded with a pair of free throws at the other end. DeAngelo and Caprise then contributed layups on back-to-back possessions to tie the game for the first time since the opening tip. Swarthmore kept feeding the ball into the post as Caprise gave the Garnet their first lead with a hook shot at the 4:30 mark. 

- The Blue Jays regained the lead with a three-pointer and a turnaround jumper to take a three-point advantage with 2:38 left. However, Caprise once again answered the call with a pair of free throws followed by a slashing layup as the Blue Jays had no answer for the big man, 71-70. 

- Johns Hopkins would go away as they tied the game once more after splitting a pair of free throws. DeAngelo then provided the moment of the night as he drilled a three-pointer from the center of the arc to give Swarthmore a three-point lead with 1:06 left. After a Hopkins bucket, the junior then finished the job as he sank a pair of clutch free throws to push their lead back to three points. The Garnet earned a defensive stop at the other end as Paquette dribbled out the ball to seal the massive comeback.